Escapism
by account-is-terminated1221
Summary: L was innocent, of that Mikami was sure; but the law had holes, & L was falling right into one. His only other option to avoid jail is to claim insanity...but how will he bode in an asylum? And what will go on with a certain patient Light Yagami present?
1. Sorry

**Warning: Rated 'M' for a reason- LxLight (boyxboy) oriented, there will be a lemon(s) later on in the story, and a spoiler for anyone who doesn't know L's real name within this chapter. **

**Author's Note: I've had this weird idea for a story in my head for a while and I've finally gotten around to writing it. In this chapter L and Naomi are kinda close, but this **_**is **_**an LxLight story, so I apologize to all the LxNaomi lovers I'm going to let down... It's actually kinda funny because I **_**really**_** hated that pairing, yet here I am writing something close to it; I think it's because I'm so sure of what's already gonna happen between our two favorite boys… ;3**

**So without further ado, here it is! (~*v*)~**

**Chapter 1. Sorry**

"We find the defendant… **guilty**."

_Damn it._

Mikami Teru was an exceptional lawyer. In fact, he was a downright brilliant one. He'd won case after case, and even developed a reputation for doing so. But this… this was wrong. He was losing this case, and he didn't know why. No, he _did _know why; it was because that damn judge along with the jury was being quite generously bribed. His client was being accused of murdering a man, poisoning him to be specific, and there was no evidence to prove that he was responsible for the man's death, yet here the jury was 'finding him guilty'.

His client was going to rot in jail for who knows how long for a crime he didn't commit. It was unjust and disgusting, just like all of the filthy, greedy people within this court room who seemed to have no remorse for _their _crimes against an innocent man.

To let someone be wrongly persecuted like that…it was against everything he'd worked for and everything he believed in. He couldn't let it happen…even if it meant concocting a fraudulent 'defense'.

"Objection, your Honor. My client isn't mentally stable; if one isn't in the right mind, they have little to no power over their actions and can't be judged as a sane individual would," the dark-haired lawyer pleaded. This was his _last_ resort, his last way of saving the man from jail at this point; he only hoped to God that his client would get the idea and play along for both their sakes.

The man looked up at the judge with a rather detached and deranged gaze. Perfect. He knew his client could fake insanity! I mean, everything about the man already screamed such an idea; he was pale with dark circles under his eyes caused from insomnia that made him look kind of like a panda, sat like a weirdo (to be quite honest) with his knees to his chest in a chair, and was so apathetic that it was hard to tell if the man even knew what was going on around him. They could definitely do this.

The judge looked thoughtful, and Mikami held his breath. They _must_ have a chance seeing as the judge hadn't dismissed it immediately.

"Given what you've just claimed…I will let the Jury decide once again with that going into consideration. For now, I will postpone this case to exactly one week from today," the Judge said, finality ringing about the room as his voice echoed through the silence.  
>Mikami let out a sigh of relief, seeing his client relax more as well. He gathered his things in silence, walking out of the court room with his client L Lawliet.<p>

As soon as they walked away from the building, Mikami came closer to L. "This is our last resort. I know your innocent, and they're lying for money. I don't know who's bribing them, but I've handled cases like these before; they're difficult to win."

"I know who's bribing them," L whispered, looking up at Mikami with his onyx eyes.

"Who?"

"A drug cartel. More specifically, the very drug cartel that I had investigated," he sighed. He might as well explain. "I am a highly successful undercover detective Mikami, and I had been working on a murder case where illegal substances had been involved. The police couldn't solve it, so they came to me, and I had handled it… But someone close to me told…'the enemy' just who had been responsible for putting one of their top men behind bars. And I'm only assuming it was someone in close contact with me since I have no other leads and no explanation as to how someone outside of my close circle could even get near enough to me to know such things."

Mikami took all that in. "Wow," he said lamely.

"'Wow', indeed… So I can really do nothing other than claim mentally insane…how unfortunate this is all turning out," he spoke to himself.

Mikami pursed his lips. "You'll have to stay in a mental institution for at least a year, but after a certain amount of time you can 'get better' and start being 'normal'. How good are your acting skills? Then again, since you're so apathetic now all you'd have to do is start showing some feeling… Yes, that should suffice… So do you think you can do that?"

"Yes. I can." He sighed heavily. "An asylum… I wonder what that'll be like; surrounded by the insane day and night, treated as if I'm one of them, and also having to act like one of them. I might just snap during the process." He looked over to Mikami, putting his thumb to his lip thoughtfully.

Even if the man was sane, he still kind of gave Mikami the creeps looking at him like that.

"I'm sorry I can't help more," Mikami said solemnly.

"I'm sure that if there was anything you could do to help me any more you'd do it, so an apology is not needed. In fact, I think a 'thank you' would be appropriate. So I thank you, Mikami Teru."

"…It's my job," Mikami said with a weak smile.

Mikami's eyes widened as he looked at L. He could've sworn he'd just seen the faintest smile grace his client's lips. He looked down and smiled inwardly. He glanced over at the odd man once more before muttering a good bye, walking in the opposite direction. As Mikami walked down the busy streets of Tokyo, he was unaware of the growing frown making itself apparent on his face.

How could he let this happen? He knew better than anyone that it wasn't his fault (his record of cases won showed that his capability wasn't to be questioned) but he couldn't seem to push away the feeling of guilt bubbling up in his chest. His innocent client would have to spend at least a year in a mental institution…a sane man in an asylum! And even though that thought sounded terrible, it was better than the alternative that was jail…Right? He hoped it was.

His frown turned into a grimace as he realized that there was really nothing he could do; he'd never felt so utterly powerless in his life. He knew that the law wasn't perfect, but he'd never been so blatantly exposed to corruption of the system. It may seem rather insignificant to others, but each innocent person being affected by the holes in the law was to lose their life; to be broken. The very thought made him feel sick.

_Such a rotten world_, he thought.

L walked into his mostly empty apartment, immediately moving to sit in his favorite armchair – his most used and appreciated piece of furniture.

He was nervous, yes, and anxious to know what the outcome of the case would be, but he felt he could do it; he knew 'how' to pull it off, but actually surviving in a mental institute (when you're sane) and just thinking about doing so are two very different things.

The dark-haired man had become lost in thought when two swift knocks got his attention. As he got up to get the door he noted that the sky had gotten significantly darker – he must've been sitting there for a couple of hours.

He opened the door and was greeted by the sight of a beautiful young woman.

"Miss Misora," he acknowledged.

"Please, Ryuzaki, call me Naomi," she told him. "We've known each other too long for you to be that cold," she said smiling playfully, but strangely, it didn't meet her eyes. Then the smile vanished.

"Is it true?"

L held his breath. "…How much do you know?" he whispered.

Naomi bit her lip, her expression becoming one fit for a funeral, and before L knew it she had pulled him into a hug.

Now L wasn't very fond of physical contact with others, but he wasn't rude enough to push her away; he had a good idea of what she could be feeling at the moment. They had worked together on many cases and 'knew' each other well enough to be viewed as 'friends'. No, Naomi didn't know his name, or that he was an undercover detective while also being her co-worker, and no she didn't know just how intelligent he was either, but he enjoyed her company nonetheless and had always been impressed by just how talented of a detective she was; she was indeed the closest thing to a friend he had.

"Ryuzaki… they're going to put you away?" she whispered, her face in the crook of his neck.

"Yes. In either a prison or a mental institution," he answered factually. He wasn't quite sure how to deal with such close contact mixed with such intense emotions. Then he felt a certain wetness, and knew that she was crying.

"Naomi, please don't cry."

"R-Ryuzaki," she cried, hugging him tighter. She pulled back to look at him. Her eyes were slightly red and her cheeks were shiny with tears. "How can you be so calm about something like this?"

"…Getting upset would be pointless. It wouldn't change anything."

Naomi looked back at him, frustrated. "Pointless? So what do you plan on doing Ryuzaki? Sitting here until the court day?"

"That seems about right."

"You're unbelievable sometimes, you know that?" she snapped. He just stared and watched as she closed her eyes, willing herself to calm down.

"I wish I could help."

L looked down, rubbing his toes together, doing anything not meet her eyes. He just couldn't. She was expressing all the feelings he was suppressing and it was making it difficult for him to continue to do so with her so openly displaying them.

Then he felt a hand on his chin, and jumped in surprise as she leaned closer to him.

_Shit._

He knew what was about to happen, but he wasn't going to be fast enough to stop it.

"Miss Miso-" he tried.

She cut him off with a kiss. A kiss so light and unsure that it could barely be called a touch. It was filled with sadness, confusion, and something L couldn't quite recognize. She pulled back, her forehead leaning against his, her breathing shaky.

He couldn't help but feel flattered that she was attracted to him, for he'd never felt attractive before or even seen himself as someone's possible love interest; however, he didn't have such feelings for her or anyone.

"…I'm so sorry Naomi. I realize that you have feelings that are more than friendship for me and I cannot accept them. Again, I'm sorry but I cannot return them and I wish you would not take it personal. You are a friend to me, perhaps my only true friend, and I don't wish to cause you any form of pain by saying that that is all you are to me, but I also do not wish to lie."

She inhaled sharply, not looking up or letting him go. "…No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that, and I understand."

Her words were like a slap in the face. They were drenched with so much hurt that he felt guilty in a way. How long had she had something for him? He knew that was a bit illogical, it wasn't his fault if he didn't feel the same way, but…

_Would sharing my cake with her be an example of me being insensitive? Maybe I've been accidentally leading her on…_

She moved towards the door and turned the knob, but stopped in her tracks. "But… why?" she asked softly.

_It wouldn't hurt anyone for me to tell a small lie for her benefit…_

"I am merely not attracted to females, Naomi."

He pursed his lips. Just because he didn't _want_ to lie didn't mean he wouldn't, and it might make her feel better to know that it wasn't because he didn't like_ her_ specifically like that. And honestly, it wasn't exactly a lie per say, he had never been attracted to either sex.

She stared at him for a few moments, almost as if she hadn't heard him correctly. "Oh…_oh_… I-I had no idea."

He stared back at her. He didn't care if she or anyone else thought he was homosexual, though the fact that she wouldn't judge him if he were proved to be more comforting than he thought it would be.

She gave him a weak smile. "I really do understand now." She wiped the tears brimming around her eyes. "I'll be going."

He gave her a small nod and watched the door close behind her. He sighed. He hoped that things between them would go back to normal…not that it would matter seeing as he wasn't going to be around for much longer.

L spent most of the week sauntering around his house- quite comfortable in enjoying his home until he'd have to leave- seeking an escape from reality, for just a little while. In his mind anything was possible; in his mind, there was no court case, no final sentence creeping closer and closer with each passing day, and there was nothing that could threaten him. In his mind, he was safe.

His thoughts were his safe haven, yes, but over time he'd become lonely. Such loneliness would start to constrict him, to suffocate him until he felt utterly trapped, and he'd think of nothing other than trying to escape before it consumed him.

When he wasn't seeking nor shunning his mind though, he was with Naomi who would come over with movies and snacks just to talk to him.

"I wish I could take your place tomorrow."

He looked over to her and away from the TV screen with wide eyes and what was almost anger. "Why would you say that?"

"…You're much too fragile."

"Bu-"

She moved closer to him on the small couch and wrapped her arms around him. L couldn't help but think that this was how a mother held a child.

_Protectively..._

Then she started to hum, and L tensed in surprise. She smiled lightly at him and continued, her hand coming up to run her fingers through his hair. He would give her this much, and frankly he was enjoying it; it made him feel secure, and surprisingly sleepy.

Before he knew it, he had leaned against her and his eyelids had become heavy. It was peaceful, and he let sleep take him.

**Author's Note: Was it alright? I hope it wasn't boring. O.o But not to worry, things had to start this way to prepare for everything else that's going to happen… X3**

**Oh! I wanted to mention that there will be other couples that will be more than introduced within this story. Other couples such as: MelloxMatt, MelloxNear, MisaxLight (Misa's love for Light that is and will remain one-sided), and possibly some OC characters to throw into the mix will be shown too. I won't give all couples a random lemon or some limey events, but I **_**will**_** take requests! So if you have a favorite couple, let me know! ;)**

**P.S: Reviews are nice! They make me happy and inspire me to write faster, so please take the time to let me know what you liked and where I can improve! :) And sorry in advance for any mistakes I failed to notice and correct.**

**Sayonara :3**

**-Sashimi123-**


	2. Misfortune or Fate?

**Warning: Rated 'M' for a reason- LxLight/LightxL (boyxboy) oriented, there will be a lemon(s) later on in the story, and a spoiler for anyone who doesn't know L's real name within this chapter. **

**Author's Note: I apologize for the long wait, but adjusting to high school as a freshman is hard! XO *me complaining… lol.* I worked really hard on this chapter though, and I hope you all like it; things are gonna get more interesting soon enough!**

**Oh and again, I'm sorry for the LxNaomi lovers I'm gonna let down; Naomi's love for L is and will remain one-sided. :/**

**Enjoy! *v***

**Chapter 2. Misfortune or Fate?**

"…_**You're much too fragile." **_The words echoed throughout his mind so loudly that even his dreams could not evade their sharp resonance.

L awoke, his vision obscured with the usual daze that came along with sleeping. He tensed as he felt arms around him. As memories of the previous night came rushing back to him he realized the situation, and that it was only Naomi.

He stared at the wall before him. Blank. It was exactly how he wanted, no _needed_ to feel; it was the mindset he needed to face the court today. He inhaled deeply, as if gathering all his other emotions, and exhaled as long as he could, mentally ridding himself of their burden, if only for the time being.

"Naomi," he called in a weak voice. His throat tightened with anxiety, and he found he could not speak. Apparently his stress was affecting him physically as well.

He nudged her lightly, his awkwardness at their close proximity quite obvious. She stirred lightly but did not wake.

"Hmm…R…R-yu…zaki," she spoke unconsciously.

L's mouth fell open slightly with an almost inaudible pop, but other than that his body did not display anything else other than its usual stolidity.

_Her infatuation with me… she's too loyal. Knowing her, she'd wait for me even if there was a slight chance I'd reconsider. She could be someone's everything. Such a shame our lives have not be intertwined as such…_

He shook her again, this time a bit harder. She awoke this time, her eyes focusing immediately on the pale man before her.

She looked at him, her eyes sad. They both knew what today was. L felt like he was being sentenced to death; the only shred of hope he had remained in the chance that they'd send him to an asylum, thus avoiding jail, and by extension death. He knew this all too well as a detective.

"Thank you for staying with me Naomi."

"My pleasure, Ryuzaki."

She held him tight to her, and tried her best to memorize everything she could; from the way his slender frame felt, to his clean scent.

She tried to look calm for L's sake, but she found that she couldn't.

_This may be the last time that I see him._

The tears fell from her eyes silently, and she found his hand, intertwining it with her own.

"Ryuzaki," she said with a low voice. She couldn't speak any louder in fear that what little composure she had left would break.

"…Yes?"

"No matter what happens and no matter how much time goes by, there will always be someone who cares about what happens to you; there will always be someone waiting for you. Never forget that. I love you Ryuzaki, and I want you to know that that will never change."

His arms clutched her shirt, and he looked down, closing his eyes as she held him tighter, kissing his hair soothingly. He felt what she said echo through to his core. Tears threatened to fall, but he fought them back.

They stood like that for few minutes in silence until L released his grip on her shirt.

She grabbed his hand and kissed it tenderly, putting it against her cheek for a few moments before getting up and giving him a weak smile. With nothing more to be said, she left.

He sighed. His eyes found their way to his bathroom. Maybe a shower would help wash away the stress.

Maybe.

* * *

><p>He was nervous. His poor thumb was bright red from his insistent biting, and he couldn't seem to get out of the situation. He tried to clear his mind, but he found himself constantly pulled back into reality at every murmur and every stare he knew pertained to him.<p>

The judge walked into the court room, taking his seat above everyone else. Silence spread through the room like a sickness.

He cleared his throat. "We are here today with Mr. L Lawliet who has been accused and found guilty of poisoning a man. Though such a crime would immediately result in jail, our client has pleaded insanity… His fate will be determined today by the Jury who has indeed reached a verdict."

He felt cornered. He had always been used to having no one for support seeing as he had no parents and had grown up in an orphanage, but he felt too vulnerable. He felt like a child, wishing to cling to something for protection from an irrational fear. But this wasn't irrational, this was reality, and reality didn't care who was innocent and who was not. Reality was cruel.

"We, the Jury, have decided that Mr. L Lawliet's plead for insanity is credible, and should be accepted by this court room as such."

He inwardly sighed; he wouldn't go to jail. It was like someone was finally giving him a chance.

Eyes looked back and forth at one another, some nodding in agreement and others pursing their lips against the sentence.

"Mr. Lawliet, you will be sent to a mental institution located in England," the Judge said.

"Excuse me?" He looked up, surprise only briefly showing in his eyes.

"We have records of your IQ, and due to the extremity of how high it is no asylum in Japan will take you in as a patient; they have complained that someone like you will be dangerous and too hard to handle."

_Someone like me…_ He didn't care for the way the Judge had said those words; it made it sound like he was an alien amongst all of them.

"Your Honor," Mikami cut in, "if I may ask, why England? Is there not somewhere closer?"

"Details of such will be revealed to you shortly," the Judge informed. He continued, "This case is now closed."

And with a bang of his gavel, it was over.

He watched as people started to shuffle out, but didn't see them all leave as he was then taken by security guards through a series of halls until they arrived at a specific white door.

In the room was a long gray table with a chair on either side. One of the guards, a rather large man with a salt-and-pepper colored beard, motioned for him to sit. The guards then moved aside, leaning against the wall as they waited with him.

After what seemed like an eternity, his lawyer walked in and sat down in the opposite chair.

"They'll be sending you to a mental institution that goes by the name of Mansfield Manner," Mikami sighed.

"Can you give me any background on it?" L asked.

"Yes. It was formerly an estate owned by a man named Sebastien Alaster who was born and died in the 1800s of Tuberculosis. The place was bought and turned into an asylum about 30 years after his death. But it's no ordinary asylum. Quite blatantly, this is an asylum for people gifted with intelligence such as your own who can't be held anywhere else. There are all sorts of patients there; from those who suffer from disassociation to those who are bi-polar. Regardless of their condition or conditions, many of them are not only smart but are or can easily become violent. As we both know, this is not a good combination."

L frowned. He knew he would have an advantage with patients in a regular asylum, seeing as he was smart enough to get out of bad situations and could probably deflate angry or violent patients enough to protect himself, but this was far from what he was expecting. How was he going to survive?

"As you could have guessed, there aren't many patients there. And also, all of them are male."

"Why is that?" L asked in a whisper.

"…Well, to be honest, the institution doesn't want to deal with possible pregnancy of female patients if they are forced or willingly take part in sexual situations with other patients, so within the last 20 years or so they have only accepted male patients," Mikami informed regretfully.

L tensed. _I avoid jail, only to be sent to the worst possible asylum. Delightful_, he thought, his sarcasm the only way of dealing with the idea without getting hysterical.

Mikami watched as his patient tensed, his hands shaking so slightly that it was almost unnoticeable. The man felt his stomach churn at the idea of sending his client to such a place. This was so much worse than he thought an asylum would be for someone, which was already more than awful. If only they had sentenced L to a 'normal' one!

This was the first time he'd actually felt that ignorance would have helped a man.

* * *

><p>A young boy, barely eighteen, walked down the quiet halls of what he was forced to call his home. His only light through the darkness was the moon, but that didn't deter him as he walked forward. He had become familiar with his surroundings from previous nights, and he had no trouble finding the old door partially covered by a painting of the man known as Sebastien Alaster. He didn't know why it was still up seeing as the man was dead, but he pushed that thought aside as he opened the door as quiet as he could and moved in, closing it behind him before making his way down the stairs.<p>

Once at the bottom, his hand searched for a small chain. His hand found the cold metal, and he yanked it lightly. Yellow light flooded the old cellar, and he blinked as his brown eyes tried to adjust.

He made his way to one of the cabinets, dull in their age, and pulled out a tin box. He opened it and smiled to himself as he stared at the small candies inside. Putting the box down, he took one out and unwrapped it, popping the circular mint in his mouth. He put the wrapper back into the box before closing it and returning it to its place.

He sucked the candy happily as he found his way to another door in the corner. This one was smaller, but he was slim enough to fit through it comfortably. He walked through it and went straight for a short while before finding another room. This time he looked at the ceiling. Ah, there it was, a small square on the ceiling that wouldn't be noticeable to most that weren't looking for it. He grabbed one of the many crates in the room, pushing it until it was under the square.

He then climbed on top of it and pushed the square upward until it became loose and he was able to push it aside. In one swift motion, he catapulted himself up and into the rather tight space. At first he was a bit claustrophobic, but after doing this so many times he knew where this small passage would lead.

He crawled along, breathing lightly as he went until he found another square above him. He adjusted his body so he could push up on that one as well, making sure that there was no light on before he crawled though.

He moved through the small bathroom, grimacing a bit at the fact that he had to touch the gross carpet that covered the entrance on the floor. Then he was where he wanted to be. The Master's Office.

He had heard nurses gossiping earlier about getting a new patient, and he wanted to know more. He had been quite bored lately, and this was really just what he needed. He only hoped they had already been sent and had printed the new patient's files.

He moved to the big mahogany desk in the middle of the room, pulling open one of the drawers until he found a key. He picked it up a bit smugly; did they really think he wasn't smart enough to do whatever the hell he wanted? Idiots.

He sifted through the files, one by one. He knew all of the patients here, so all he'd have to do was find one he didn't recognize. He passed his own file labeled Light Yagami; apparently he was a 'sociopath' to them. He didn't care what they thought though, they were all tools and he would always be able to outsmart them; the proof was that he was where he was now, looking through what was supposed to be their private files.

"There it is," he whispered excitedly.

He pulled out a file with the name L Lawliet. There was no picture, but it did have a bit of background. It was a male, he was born on October 31st 1982, he was 5'8", about 110 pounds, and had poisoned a man. He didn't sound very violent, and he was so small (only 110 pounds at 24!) that he didn't seem like a possible threat at all; but who could be sure?

He'd find out soon enough.

He smiled to himself as he put the file back, closing and locking the drawer before putting away the thin gold key he'd taken from the Master's desk.

**Author's Note: Was it good? Bad? Amazing? Horrendous? Let me know by reviewing! :D**

**P.S: Again, L and Light aren't the only couples that will be featured in this story, so if you have certain couples or a couple you like then let me know and I'll probably include them. Also, I'm open to ideas and suggestions, so feel free to leave those as well. :)**

**Sayonara :3**

**-Sashimi123-**


	3. First Encounter

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Sorry for taking soooo long to update! I'm such a terrible author sometimes. X/**

**Here's another chapter! :D**

**Chapter 3. First Encounter**

**L's P.O.V:**

They'd led me off the plane, and into a small silver car. We'd driven for about an hour, until we reached the institution. They had blindfolded me for the car ride, so that I wouldn't be able to recognize my surroundings if I were to escape. But it was useless really, there were no towns nearby, no houses in this area; it was nothing but vast fields in the middle of what seemed like nowhere.

The car finally stopped, and I was hurriedly pushed out. I stumbled and fell to my knees. It was due to the blindfold still secured around my head. I let a noise of discomfort out, and the blindfold was taken off. I blinked a couple of times, and looked around.

It was like I'd said; miles of green emptiness all around the former manner. And strangely, it seemed like someone had tried farming next to the place. There was a very large chunk of land that had been planted on. The corn had grown, but had died due to the bad weather, it seemed. Now all that was left was a thick, ugly field of yellow crops. The guards pulled me the other way, and my gaze was directed elsewhere.

We moved to the entrance, and walked in through a large black gate that had to be about 15 feet high. I could tell it was old –probably the original gate put in- by the weathered, chipped paint letting bits of silver show. Across the top it said 'Mansfield' in scripted bold letters. I couldn't help but think that this would be the last time I'd see the outside of this gate.

I felt my sides ache with unwillingness to move forward, and even as my feet moved slower, the guards continued to steer me towards the castle-like building.

It was quiet, almost unnaturally so. It was as if everyone and everything had gone silent for my arrival; I knew that it must be in my head. Why would they let the patients know about a new person? It was none of their business really. However, the eerie atmosphere proved to be foreboding, nonetheless. The vast surroundings accompanied by such quietude only served to heighten my anxiety towards the unknown. We walked down a long stone path and I heard the gate clang shut behind me. I felt a new wave of fear wash over me. My throat tightened, and my body seemed to draw my arms and legs closer to me in an attempt to keep myself away from it all. The guards dragged me further, and I fought the urge to kick and resist. I couldn't. I had to behave as well as I could; it was my only chance at freedom in the future. So I continued to walk forward mechanically to what could very well be my demise.

But who knows? It could be different.

Perhaps they had better security, and I wouldn't even be near other patients. Or maybe, they sedated the violent patients for the safety of themselves and others. I felt a small flicker of hope. However, I felt it snuffed out as my eyes fell on two female nurses carrying a bloody boy. It looked like he'd been fighting with someone; his cheek was swollen and red, and his dark hair was matted to his forehead with more blood. The boy looked no older than 14 or 15.

It was a disturbing sight.

I closed my eyes, and willed myself away from this horrible place. I tried to imagine myself in the comfort of my apartment; with Naomi holding me like she'd done before I'd left. But I was shaken out of my comforting thoughts, and when I opened my eyes I was met with the same surroundings, the same inescapable situation.

I blacked out.

**Light's P.O.V:**

"The new patient is here," I heard a nurse say.

I had been sitting in an armchair, staring at my nails out of boredom, but my ears perked up as I heard this.

This new patient…L Lawliet. I was eager to meet him.

Day after day passed with the same thing, over and over again. Boredom engulfed me like fire. I couldn't escape it, not even in here.

_Idle hands are the devil's hands._

I'd come to understand that statement personally.

It was what drove me to manipulating people when I'd been in the real world. Even that hadn't sufficed, and now it was even worse. I'd been excited to come to Mansfield before. I thought, perhaps something unexpected would happen each day, and I'd always be entertained. However, that was false.

But this new patient, he could be a source of fun for me. He could mix things up; even if only a little, or for a short while, I'd take it. I couldn't bear the same routine anymore. I was reaching my limit. And when I reached that point, I'd become very dangerous, I was aware. It wasn't like I had anything to lose anyway.

The door opened and all the patients in the leisure room looked over. I looked over expectantly as well.

Through the door came two guards, holding what looked to be a man. Before I could study him however, a woman walked in after them and blocked my view. She was dressed in a navy blue skirt and blazer with plenty of tacky gold accents, over a white dress shirt. She had heavy black makeup on, and her hair was cut short. She looked around, and I cringed as her eyes fell on me. She smirked at me, looking me up and down. How sick. Wasn't she aware that I was easily capable of hurting her for nothing more than seeing her scream? I'm sure seeing her gaudy suit covered in blood would be entertaining to the other patients as well.

I heard movement from one of the other armchairs around the room. One of the patients was walking over to her. It was a blond boy that went by the name of Mello, if I'm not mistaken. At his flank was, of course, Matt. The burgundy-haired boy was always attached to him.

"Miss, you wouldn't happen to have something for me, would you?" Mello asked, politely.

"I'm sorry cutie, but I can't give you anything. I'm not allowed to," she told him, pushing his shoulder length hair behind his ear as she looked at him with hungry eyes.

Disgusting.

Mello shrugged and grabbed her purse from her hand. She made a sound of disapproval, but didn't stop him.

"I'm taking this," Mello said sternly, holding her black eyeliner in his free hand. He thrust her bag back at her. He stuffed the cosmetic tool into the pocket of his faded white uniform; it was the same attire all the patients in this place had to wear. She clutched her purse tight and made to follow him as he walked off towards one of the couches in the room.

"I wouldn't do that," I told her. She stopped and her eyes turned to me. She didn't realize what Mello was capable of. That politeness was just a façade to get what he wanted quickly, and if she was stupid enough to go over and try to take back that eyeliner from a patient in an institution like this, she was going to be in for something extremely unpleasant.

"Why's that, honey?" she said, her eyes roaming all over me.

I shook my head. I wasn't going to explain. What did it matter to me if she got hurt?

She walked closer until she was at the side of the armchair. She put her hand on it, and smiled at me. I finally looked up to meet her dark brown eyes.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Light. And yours?"

"Light…such a beautiful name for such a beautiful boy."

I almost gagged.

She continued, "I'm Kiyomi Takada. What's your last name, Light?" She moved closer to me. She smelled strong of mint. It was unpleasant and made me wrinkle my nose.

"It's none of your business, really," I told her.

She moved back a little and had been about to persist, but a nurse came over to her and whispered something in her ear. I believe the nurse went by the name Matsuda. To be honest, I didn't pay much attention to the names of the staff members. Kiyomi gave me one last look before reaching into her purse and pulling out a thick orange envelope and handing it to the nurse.

"The Doctor would like to speak with you," Matsuda told her.

Kiyomi nodded and she and the nurse left the room. My eyes wandered back over to the guards. I had almost forgotten that they held what had to be the new patient, L.

Said patient was pale, he wore a baggy white shirt and faded blue jeans that looked way too big for his small frame, and his unkempt mane of black hair covered most of his closed eyes. But from what I could see, he was beautiful.

I longed to see his eyes. Why was he unconscious? Had they sedated him before his arrival? Maybe he was dangerous. But hopefully he wasn't too crazy. It would be such a shame if I couldn't even have a conversation with the guy without him getting like some of the patients in here get.

Or maybe he was pretending? It was possible. Whatever the case, I was eager to hear his voice, to see his eyes, and to converse with him.

The guard holding the thin man moved over to the empty couch and set him down. He then left the building, the other guard behind him.

A different male nurse looked over at the man, before leaving the room. Did they honestly just leave this unconscious man with insane patients and no staff members around to protect him? God, they were stupid.

Almost instantaneously, the patients all curiously moved towards him.

"Don't touch him," I said sternly. They stopped in their tracks.

"Why not?" a small voice asked. I turned to look at the small, silver haired boy I knew as Near.

"Because I said so."

I wasn't someone the other patients feared, but I was the oldest, so everyone listened. At first I hadn't understood why they didn't become violent with me, or why they listened at all to anything I'd requested or demanded. But I think the best way to describe our relationship would be parent and child. My age gave me a title that granted me this unspoken respect, and for that I was grateful.

I walked over to the man, and crouched down on the floor to study him. I pushed his hair away from his face, and I thumbed his closed eyes softly. I leaned closer to him so that my mouth was next to his ear.

"Wake up, L," I whispered.

"How do you know his name?" Matt asked me curiously.

"He knows everything, Mattie. You know that…" Mello told him, running his hand through the boys red locks.

I smirked. If I had a reputation for anything, I suppose it would be for 'knowing everything'. Because I always snuck into the Master's office, I always knew everything before the patients knew, and even before the nurses knew at times. No one was aware of the trips I'd take at night to get such information, and I certainly didn't plan on telling them.

The man stirred beneath my hand. He murmured something unintelligible and seemed to cringe. I let my hand caress his face soothingly, and I shushed him like a mother would do to a child. His eyelids then fluttered open, and a pair of onyx eyes met my honey ones.

Beautiful.

Those dark eyes widened as he saw my hand on his cheek. I didn't remove it however, and his pale hand came up to touch mine. He sat up.

"Why hello, there, L," I said softly. I didn't want to scare him; he already looked like a frightened lamb. It made me feel protective. It was strange, to say the least.

"Please, call me Ryuzaki," he said in a quiet, monotonous voice. He looked around the room.

**L's P.O.V:**

Is he a nurse?

No, he must be a patient seeing as his attire matches that of the others in the room who are too young to be nurses.

His hand was still at my face, and I was still touching it. I grabbed his hand and moved it to the couch, then moved my hand back to my lap. He smiled a little, and his eyes observed me.

"What is your name?" I asked him. I looked at the boys behind him who were all watching me curiously. There was a blond boy, a silver-haired boy, a burgundy-haired boy, a brunette or two, and one boy (that was probably the youngest amongst them all) had black hair.

"It's Light," he answered in a velvet voice. I immediately found my eyes moving back to him as he spoke. This boy was truly beautiful. His hair was an auburn color with softer golden highlights, his eyes were like honey, and his voice was calming.

"Hey, I wanna see the new patient!" a voice called.

A boy with orange hair walked into the room with a smirk. He walked over to approach me and I tensed.

"Keep your distance," Light told him, his hand finding mine.

"Why?" the boy demanded. He moved closer, and Light stood up in front of me.

"Because I said so."

"He doesn't _belong_ to you!" the boy said, getting angry.

"Don't test me, Tommy," Light warned.

The boy, Tommy, didn't look English, but he wasn't the only patient who didn't look like a native. I'd bet patients from around the world are sent here.

Tommy scoffed but said no more. He moved over to watch the television on the other side of the room.

"I'm telling everyone now, don't touch him. If I hear of anyone bothering him, I will not be pleased," Light said sternly. He turned back to me, and smiled. "You can room with me, Ryuzaki."

I nodded. I wasn't sure whether I should be relieved or scared. He seemed to be protecting me, but what were his intentions?

I couldn't possibly know.

**Author's Note: Love it? Hate it? Leave a review! :D**

**P.S: Because of the shortage of patients, I was considering using some random characters from other animes and/or mangas. The first thing that came to mind was Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji because Alois is insane and truly belongs in a place like Mansfield, lol. If anyone has any suggestions or requests, let me know. :)**

**-Sashimi123-**


	4. Candy

**Author's Note: Thanks to those who reviewed and left me suggestions! I appreciate your feedback! It left me with a warm fuzzy feeling! :D**

**Seriously, I've never updated this quickly. X3**

**Chapter 4. Candy**

**Light's P.O.V:**

"Ryuzaki, I'll show you to the main office," I told him. He looked lost and confused, and I wanted to protect him.

I wasn't the first person to have such feelings towards someone. Everyone at Mansfield felt the same to an extent. We were all in pairs of two or three, it seemed.

_Every man for himself._

It was an unspoken rule here, but we were all guilty of breaking it. Those who stand alone, fall alone. That's how we saw it. Thus, we made it our business to make ties that would bind us to each other. It was selfish, we knew. Human beings, mad or sane, craved something to cling to. We were needy.

I grabbed Ryuzaki's hand and led him down the hall. He was hesitant. He probably thought I was going to hurt him.

"Don't be frightened, Ryuzaki. I won't hurt you," I cooed.

He said nothing, but walked with me as I escorted him to the main office.

We approached the white door, and I stepped forward. The old wooden door creaked as I eased it open.

"You realize that you left him at the mercy of the others, don't you?" I scolded the nurses as we walked into the artificially bright room.

The Master, or the 'Doctor' as the nurses called him, glared at me.

"You realize that he is not your responsibility, don't you?" he told me, his voice dripping with annoyance.

"I'm not the one that practically left him for dead," I scoffed.

No one cared about us here. It was the unfortunate truth.

The Master said nothing, but it felt like his eyes were boring holes in me. It bothered me, yes, but I sure as hell wasn't going to let him know that.

"He'll be staying with me," I told them, my demand drenched with authority.

The Master adjusted his glasses, his lips spreading into a mocking grin.

"What makes you so sure?" he asked.

"I'm the only person who has a room to myself. There isn't much space to put him anywhere else."

"…Fine. You'll have your way, Yagami," he dismissed with a wave of his hand.

I cringed as he said my last name. He was antagonizing me, I was aware.

"I always do, Namikawa," I replied smugly.

His mocking grin turned sour, and his glare became too intense for me to hold eye contact. I flinched and dragged Ryuzaki out of the office.

"He's unpleasant," Ryuzaki said as I led him to my room, to _our_ room.

"That's an understatement," I replied.

We walked down two more hallways before we reached the correct door.

"Here's our room," I informed him.

I reached out and opened the door. I didn't lock it. There was no point really, seeing as I didn't have anything worth stealing there.

We walked in. It was a boring room really. There were two beds on either side. The walls were a dull white color, as were the bed sheets. The floor was concrete, and there was a small window very high up with iron bars so no one could climb out. It made the room feel like a prison cell. And lastly, there was a little closet that had shelves to put the extra pairs of clothes we were given.

I looked over to Ryuzaki. His eyes were mostly covered by his wispy bangs but I could tell they were at the floor. He was deep in thought.

I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt you."

**L's P.O.V:**

His voice was benevolent, but I could hear another undertone. It seemed…possessive.

It was as if he'd _claimed_ me.

His hand dropped from my shoulder, and he swept away my black bangs covering my eyes, his hand remaining at my face for just a little longer than it needed to.

"I usually sleep in the bed on the left, but you can choose which you prefer. I don't mind switching," he told me.

I nodded and made my way over to the bed on the right. I sat down and backed up against the wall, my knees coming up to my chest. My cheek rested on my knee, and I closed my eyes.

I tried to analyze the situation, but I couldn't think straight. It felt as if my conscious was on the verge of slipping from me again, but I kept in mind that fainting would only exacerbate the situation by putting me in even more danger.

I couldn't trust Light.

I couldn't trust anyone.

I had to constantly be aware of my surroundings, to never let my guard down around anyone in here, for it could easily mean my life.

There were two swift knocks at the door. Light and I turned to see a nurse coming in with a stack of white clothes.

"Here are your clothes," the nurse said. He put them on Light's bed and left as quickly as he came.

I rest my head on my knees once again.

"…Would you like to change now? I'll leave the room if you're embarrassed," Light said quietly.

"Embarrassed?" I questioned in a small voice.

"To change in front of me."

"…No, it doesn't matter."

Light nodded and passed me my clothes. I observed them, holding them with my thumbs and forefingers. Light looked at me a bit questioningly, but said nothing. I brought the clothes to my nose; they smelled clean.

I got up and pulled off my shirt without hesitance. Light briefly looked me over, but kept his eyes to the floor. How polite of him.

I wonder why he's in here…

Perhaps he has a personality disorder...If that's the case, then I should remain weary, for his kind personality could easily change drastically. Yes, I must train myself to expect the absolute worse, or I won't be able to survive here. It's as simple as that.

I slipped off my pants easily and stepped into the white ones. I pulled them up and frowned. They were too big for me. I fumbled with the string, my hands shaking as I tried to tie it tighter.

"…Would you like me to help you?" his soft voice cut through the silence.

I looked up to meet his wide honey eyes. He looked young, and so innocent. My throat tightened; the fact that he was here at Mansfield contradicted that thought. He was young, but not innocent. Insanity didn't pay any mind to age. That was the reason he was here.

"Yes, please," I said quietly.

He moved over to me and got on one knee, reaching for the strings of my baggy pants. My thumb moved to rest on my lip as the urge to move away irked me. I was almost afraid; afraid that his kindness was a complete façade that could shatter at any moment if I made one wrong move.

As if sensing this, he grabbed at the hand at my mouth and intertwined it with his. He watched me intently, and I returned the stare.

"I'm not like the others. You don't need to fear me," he said, his voice laced with sincerity.

"…How can I be sure of that?"

He stood up and came closer to me.

"You'll just have to take my word for it," he whispered into my ear.

His breath fanned onto my face and neck; it smelled like candy. How was that possible? I tried not to be too obvious, but I couldn't help but shamelessly inhale the delicious scent as he breathed against me, his hand on the wall by the other side of my head. I licked my lips. That smell awakened the hunger for sweets that I had forgotten about for a while. The last time I had eaten anything sugary was what, about 3 days ago? I could swear I saw the corners of Light's lips curl into the faintest smirk, but it was gone too fast for me to be able to say with certainty that I'd seen it at all. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks; he had completely noticed. How embarrassing.

But what I wouldn't do for any type of sweet at the moment...

His hand moved to my forehead.

"Your face is flushed. Are you feeling alright?" he said, 'concerned'.

He was messing with me….right? I couldn't be sure. But his smell, that sweet smell, was intoxicating.

"Maybe you should lie down," he said, guiding me to the bed. I nodded and sat down silently. He leaned in towards me, and I immediately felt my cheeks flush again at our close proximity. What was wrong with me? Maybe I _was_ sick.

"Don't worry about a thing, okay? Just rest. No one will bother you," he said.

It sounded genuine, but I couldn't think straight with him exhaling the sugary scent all over me.

I wonder…if I were to kiss him, would he taste like he smells?

Light moved away then, picking up the stack of the rest of my clothes and putting them in the closet on an empty shelf. I was snapped out of my sugar-induced haze.

A new type of anxiety made itself known within me as I realized that I wasn't going to be able to satisfy my seemingly eternal craving for sweets on a daily basis. How was I going to last in this place?

The brunette then started walking towards the door. He turned back to look at me. His stare, it wasn't kind, nor was it threatening…it was mysterious.

"I'll be around."

With that said, he walked out and left me to myself.

I fell asleep quickly, all my stress leaving me in a sigh as I pulled the covers over myself and drifted off.

By the time I woke up, the window in the room was a portal for moonlight rather than sunlight to flood into the room. I turned over and sat up on the firm bed, only to hear what sounded like plastic ruffling amongst the covers. I looked around, and found a peppermint candy.

Where did it come from?

I dismissed the question quickly and unwrapped the treat, popping it into my mouth without a second thought. I rolled the candy around with my tongue, a smile forming on my face.

I closed my eyes, and for a moment, I was content.

**Author's Note: I worked hard to finish this chapter quickly so you guys wouldn't have to wait! Seriously, my brother kept bugging me that he was bored but I didn't budge and continued to write! Lol. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! ^^**

**Please leave me a lovely review~ :)**


	5. Breaking Point

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! This chapter is really short, like much shorter than I'm comfortable with (lol), and I apologize for that, but there's a chance I might not have internet access for like two days or so, so I wanted to update before then. **

**So here's a short chappie for you all!**

**Chapter 5. Breaking Point**

**L's P.O.V:**

I finished my candy, leaning against the wall. The room was colder at night; I shivered and pulled the covers around me as I stared out the small window at the moon.

I glanced over to the other bed. It was no longer empty. Light was laying there, his back to me.

I wonder if he's asleep…

With a small sigh, I laid down on the bed. I stared at the ceiling, willing myself to fall back to sleep.

Comforting images played like a slideshow in my head, but when my eyes slid open again to face reality my throat tightened and I felt tears welling up.

I can't cry. I can't.

But my body betrayed me. I let out a shaky breath as tears slid down my cheeks. I covered my face with my arms as I tried to compose myself.

_I can't break down like this… _I mouthed the words.

But again, my body didn't listen; a small cry slipped past my lips.

"Ryuzaki."

I looked over to Light who was sitting up in his bed, honey eyes full of concern. I took a breath and tried to clear my throat.

"I-I'm sorry if I woke you," I stuttered, wiping my eyes with my sleeve, a feeble attempt at hiding my tears.

"Come here."

I blinked a couple times. I sent him a confused look through my unkempt bangs. He nodded and his hand motioned for me to come to him. I got up hesitantly, making my way over to him. He moved over in the small bed, grabbing my hand and gently guiding me to the space next to him.

"Come now…don't cry," he whispered, his hand coming up to my face with a gentleness I wasn't aware he possessed.

My breath caught at his soft words. His arms wrapped around my waist, and in one gentle movement he was embracing me.

_Push him away!_ the logical part of my mind demanded.

But I couldn't.

He pulled me down slowly, his hand running through my black tresses as he started to rock me.

_Stop this!_ my mind screamed.

But I couldn't. I couldn't object.

I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and I craved it. My hands fisted into his shirt, and another small cry left me. It was soon silenced by his fingers at my lips. This thumb stroked my bottom lip before taking hold of my chin. His eyes met mine, and my breath caught again, this time in shock and anticipation, but his hand only continued its gentle exploration of my face by moving along my jaw.

His steady breaths, they had that same delicious candy smell, and I found myself almost instinctually moving closer to him. And his touch…it reminded me of Naomi's; safe and secure.

So I let him coddle me like a child.

I let him whisper words of comfort into my ear.

I let him engulf me in his sweet caresses.

I let him soothe me.

**Mello's P.O.V:**

I stared at myself in the mirror.

"How do I look, Mattie?"

"You look amazing, Mels," he answered, his eyes wide.

My blue-green eyes were emphasized at the moment by the black eyeliner I'd taken from that woman, Takada. The contrast was striking.

"Come closer," I demanded.

Matt complied and moved right in front of me.

"Sit," I said, my eyes motioning towards the chair. He did.

"I'm going to make you look beautiful."

My right hand fisted gently into his red locks and held him steady as I skillfully glided the cosmetic tool over the under of his left eye; I then repeated the action with the other eye. I filled the lines in precisely, darkening them until they looked the way I wanted. I took a step back to admire my work. He looked up at me expectantly.

"How do Ilook?"

I leaned forward and let my lips glide over his jaw before stopping at his cheek to leave a small kiss.

"Stunning," I said, "…Go find Near. We'll make him look beautiful too."

Matt nodded, grabbing my hand and bringing it to the side of his face.

"Mihael," he breathed into my palm, nuzzling my hand affectionately.

"Mail," I replied quietly, my eyes softening.

With one last glance, he got up and left to go find Near.

**Misa's P.O.V:**

I stared at the photo of my love and I on my cell phone.

Light…

Why did they have to take him away from me? This is like a tragic love story!

I sighed. Lately, I'm afraid I'm reaching my limit. My poor heart can't be away from him much longer!

My legs came up to my chest and I found myself pouting in frustration and longing.

I wonder what he's doing right now…

My phone buzzed. The caller ID read 'Sayu'. Why would Light's little sister be calling me?

"Moshi moshi?" I answered the phone.

"Misa-chan! How are you?" she asked.

"…I'm alright, but I miss Light…" I sniffled.

"Well that's kind of the reason why I'm calling."

"What do you mean?" I asked, a bit of hope making itself apparent in my voice.

"Well my dad said that in maybe a week or two we'd go and visit him," she said. I could almost hear a smile in her voice. Light's departure had been really tough on her, and I'm sure she missed him as much as I did. Well, _almost_ as much.

"That's wonderful!" I cheered into the phone.

"It is! Well I have to go now but I'll keep in touch, 'kay?"

"Alright, bye!"

Don't worry my Light! Your love will be coming to see you soon!

**Author's Note: Again, I'm sorry for the really short chapter. X/**

**I know some of you may have a thing against or don't really care for MelloxMatt, but I think their little interaction was necessary, not to mention adorable. Now don't worry, I'm also a MelloxNear fan so all you fangirls (and fanboys?) will get your fill too. Lol**

**Please leave a review! :D**


	6. Conflict

**Author's Note: Sorry I didn't update quicker! I apologize but I was **_**so**_** busy with Christmas stuff and the sort. Also, at the moment I'm using my aunt's computer since my computer 'died'. T~T Damn viruses… **.

**Another thing, I, personally, am not a big fan of Misa Amane. I don't hate her per say, but she annoys the hell outta me most of the time, lol. So don't be shocked if she ends up alone, gets hurt, or *cough* dies *cough cough*. I'm kidding… O.o lol**

**Chapter 6. Conflict**

**Light's P.O.V:**

I woke up suddenly, greeted by the warmth of another body. For a moment I had forgotten that it was only Ryuzaki…L Lawliet. Such a strange name, but it fit him well. I found that I wanted to use his name, to hear it on my tongue.

"L Lawliet…" I breathed, my arms unconsciously wrapping around him tighter.

He moved stirred in my arms, "…Nani desu ka?" he groaned, half asleep.

My head tilted to the side in confusion and surprise. I nudged him, curiosity aflame in my eyes.

"Do you speak Japanese?" I asked him eagerly. I had been forced to speak English at Mansfield; no matter where you came from, you had to drop your language and pick up English right away. It was just another way you were forced to conform, to follow their rules.

"Hmmm?" His eye brows knit together in confusion, though his eyes were still closed.

"Ryuzaki," I shook him lightly to wake him. His eyes finally fluttered open, and he moved to sit up. I grabbed his arm and he stilled.

"Do you speak Japanese?"

"…Excuse me?"

"Just now, you'd spoken to me in Japanese. You were half asleep," I informed him.

"Oh…Well, yes. I lived in Japan before I came here, thus I speak fluent Japanese," he answered.

My eyes lit up and I nodded. "So do I. Your alias is obviously Japanese, but I didn't want to assume anything since your real name isn't."

"…How do you know my real name?"

"…Let's just say I have my ways. I'll show you sometime," I said with a wink.

I ran my fingers through my hair before reaching for his hand. I played with his fingers and my thumb caressed his palm as I examined them. No scars; unlike most of the patients here.

"…Your full name is Light Yagami, right?" he asked. I nodded and he continued, "Were you raised in Japan?"

"Yes. I lived there before here as well. I had been practicing English in junior high and high school so it wasn't too hard for me to switch languages when I came here. What about you?"

"I studied a few languages when I was younger."

"What languages can you speak?" I asked.

"I can speak Japanese, English, French, Spanish, German, and Korean."

My jaw nearly dropped in surprise. "That's really impressive. I wish I could speak that many languages," I said honestly.

Ryuzaki looked up at me shyly, his fingers now responding to mine. "It's not that difficult. I could teach you some if you'd like," he offered.

I leaned forward and brushed my nose against his. "That's really kind of you," I breathed. I purposely let my breath fan across his face; his reaction last time was really…_sexy_… like in an innocent school girl type way.

He blushed, his eyes darting downward, and my heart fluttered. Sparks of desire surged throughout my body, and I fought the urge to do anything impulsive. My hand came up to touch his cheeks, as if to let him know just how pink his face was. His eyes didn't meet mine. Instead, they stayed on our intertwined fingers. He looked lost in thought, and as the crimson hue on his cheeks faded, his lips pulled downward into a frown.

My hand squeezed his softly while the other thumbed his cheekbone. "Don't worry. Everything will be alright," I assured.

His frown stayed, but he nodded, his eyes still refusing to meet mine. I pursed my lips; I didn't like seeing him like this. A flow of emotions spread through me, first frustration and then anger. I wasn't angry at him, but angry that he was unhappy. I knew why…who wouldn't want to leave this place? However, I couldn't wish him away from here. I wanted him here, with me; he was the only remedy to the suffocating loneliness I was subject to each and every day.

"We should go get breakfast now," I said, sitting up. He nodded and followed me out of the room.

We walked down the white halls, our eyes scanning the walls. There were hardly any paintings, or anything that would make the place look lived in. It was yet another way Mansfield controlled you; you weren't allowed to see it as your home, but you couldn't even _think_ about leaving. It left you with a terrible feeling, really. A feeling none of us could describe but shared nonetheless.

My hand reached for Ryuzaki's, and he jumped at the contact. I chuckled, and the faintest of smiles graced his lips.

_Kawaii_, I thought.

"….Kawaii?" Ryuzaki inquired.

I turned to look at him and a small laugh left him as his eyes met my embarrassed expression. Apparently, I'd spoken my thoughts aloud…

"Hai," I answered, laughing with him.

**L's P.O.V:**

I swallowed nervously as we walked. I was breaking rules. The mental rules that I was supposed to be following. The most important rule was not to get close to anybody; it could so easily be my demise. But here I was…with Light…and I didn't want to push him away. I held his hand tighter as I thought, trying to analyze my situation. I needed something to cling to, something familiar to help me get by. I needed something….no, someone, otherwise I'd be alone.

Completely alone in a crowd.

Scratch that….completely alone in a crowd of extremely intelligent and utterly mad people.

I quietly sighed to myself, trying to be subtle as I glanced over to the brunette walking beside me. He'd already made himself that familiar something I needed. Before I knew it he'd snatched me up from under my feet. But with him…with him I'd fall. I wasn't supposed to trust him, I _couldn't _trust him!

_But he's not insane…he's kind and caring_, a voice within me chided.

However, in reality, Light was a patient at Mansfield Institution for the Mentally Insane. The chances of this being genuine and not just an act were slim in this case. On one hand, if I choose not to believe him, I'll be left alone. But on the other hand, if I place my trust in him he could easily turn around and thrown it back in my face.

Confusion and frustration wracked my brain, and I couldn't get away from the decision to push him away or to embrace him. I'd have to decide soon, because the longer I waited, the worse it'd be if I picked the first option.

We finally reached what was the cafeteria. As soon as we walked in, the room went silent. Curious eyes were all over me, their stares intimidating. But when Light held my hand tighter, I felt most of the stress leave me in a sigh. I didn't feel so vulnerable with him next to me. As we walked towards a fairly empty table, everyone was watching our hands. Some looking puzzled while others were sending daggers at me with their eyes.

"…"

Silence continued to spread through the cafeteria as more and more people turned to watch me. Finally, someone spoke. "Oi, Light! Who's the cutie?" a boy called, getting up from his seat to get a better look. The boy looked about 15 years old, his hair was short and a deep brown color. But what caught my attention was the startling streak of white against his dark hair.

"He's the new patient and he goes by Ryuzaki," Mello answered from across the table. "But I wouldn't touch him. It seems Light already called dibs," he added, his eyes motioning to our hands that were still intertwined. The blond sat down next to Near and Matt.

"No one asked you, fag," he spat in reply, sending an insulting glare to the boy in front of him.

"Pssht, you're the one calling him a 'cutie', moron," Mello scoffed with an amused smirk.

A few of the patients laughed, and the boy just crossed his arms annoyed. "Whatever. At least I'm not the one screwing the albino and that puppy of yours…" he added, fighting a smirk as Mello's face turned pink with anger. The other patients laughed at this as well, but Near's expression remained stoic, and Matt only clung to Mello more.

"Fuck you, Jace!" Mello shouted. The boy flinched as Mello made to rise from his seat. Matt and Near, on either side of him, held him in place. "Let me go!" he struggled, completely livid.

"He's truly not worth it. He only wishes to evoke an entertaining reaction from you, Mello," Near informed, looking up at the furious blond as he twirled his silver hair around his finger.

Matt nodded in agreement. "It's true. Besides, he's just jealous," Matt smiled at Mello before turning to Jace, sticking his tongue out childishly.

"_Jealous_? Of _what_? Anyone could do better than you two," he said nastily.

"Bastard!" Mello yelled, finally breaking free from the two boys. He jumped across the table and tackled the brunette to the ground. Jace yelled and struggled but Mello was still able to deliver a swift punch to his jaw. Blood trickled from the boy's now cut lip and he spit at Mello as the blond punched him a second time. Mello's fingers gripped the boy's hair, and he held his head up so their eyes could meet.

"I'd refrain from fucking with me if I were you, Jace; there will always be consequences," Mello informed, dropping the boys head and walking out of the cafeteria. Matt and Near were quick to follow him, leaving their food behind on the table. Light sighed but sat down, patting the seat next to him. I sat down and my eyes couldn't help but move back to the boy called Jace as nurses hurried into the room, picking him up and carrying him away.

Light pursed his lips, before asking me "What would you like to eat?"

"…Whatever you're having, I suppose."

"Alright."

He got up, looking at the patients closest to me, as if he were daring them to approach me while he got our food.

"Hey, did you hear?" I heard a young boy ask someone.

"Hear what, Taro?" another inquired.

The young boy leaned forward, looking both ways to make sure no one was listening. "They're gonna let Riley out of solitary confinement today," the youngest patient replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah…and things were just beginning to get normal too. Well, as normal as they could be, anyway," the boy laughed.

The other boy nodded. "Seriously."

Light then appeared next to me, holding two plastic trays. They both had scrambled eggs and toast, and what looked like grape juice in a plastic cup. The two forks he held were also plastic; I guess things could be easily used as dangerous weapons if they were made of anything other than plastic…

"Is this alright?" Light asked. I nodded. There wasn't really a way for a cook to prepare eggs badly so it'd probably be okay. I didn't feel like eating, but I forced myself too. As soon as I'd swallowed though, I'd realized how hungry I truly was. It was to be expected seeing as I hadn't eaten in about 2 days.

I finished my food quickly. I stared at my hands before I looked over to Light. His face was resting on his hand and he gave me a smile when our eyes met. He pushed his plate in front of me.

"Here. You can have the rest if you'd like," he offered. His eyes were on me, and I found that I suddenly felt very self conscious. My hand came up to my hair and ran through the wild black tresses.

"I'm alright," I answered, but my stomach grumbled quietly.

"No, it's fine. Eat," he encouraged.

I finally nodded, accepting the food. As I downed another spoonful of eggs, my throat tightened.

I was doing it again.

I shouldn't be getting so comfortable with him. I needed to do something. I needed to say something…

I looked up at him, opening my mouth to speak, but seeing his kind honey eyes made me stop. I couldn't speak. I couldn't do anything. It was as if those eyes, those pretty eyes, held me under a spell and prevented me from objecting.

What was I going to do?

**Author's Note: Was it alright? I had been planning to make this chapter longer, but I decided to make the next chapter a lot more interesting by leaving a scene out of this one. Also, I decided not to use characters from other animes. I mean, it just kind of messes up the feel of the story for me... So please bear with me and my random made up characters, lol.**

**Please tell me what you think by leaving a review. (:**

**P.S: Any K-Pop lovers here? I wrote most of this chapter while listening to the new-ish song 'Oppa Oppa' by Donghae and Eunhyuk from Super Junior. It's so suggestive and hilarious; leave it to the power of EunHae to come up with such a song. ;)**


	7. Alive

**Author's Note: Sorry for taking a while to upload! I had writer's block…but I tried to make this chapter longer for you guys.**

**teehee, I think you'll all like what I came up with… ;)**

**Enjoy~**

**Chapter 7. Alive**

* * *

><p>"Mello, please go to your room," the nurse said.<p>

"I didn't even do anything! It was that _bastard_, Jace!" the blond argued.

"Mels, it's alright. You shouldn't let him get you so worked up like that. He doesn't mean anything to us," Matt said, his arm hooking around Mello's.

"That's not the damn point!" he replied.

"Please go to your room _now_," the nurse insisted.

Mello ignored him and continued, "He's purposely antagonizing me _all _the time, and I'm starting to think that murdering the fuck would be the best solution!" he yelled, his face turning a bright pink.

"Mello, it would be wise to calm down so they don't sedate you again," Near reminded. But Mello wouldn't hear it. He was sick of being forced to 'calm down', and he really wanted to be angry today. He wanted to go crazy, to actually let himself follow his emotions and stop holding back. He knew it was impulsive, but the very thought of doing such sent a wave of adrenaline through his system and his ocean eyes seemed to glow with rebellion. He wanted to feel _alive_. As if his two constant companions sensed this, they both started to plead "Mello, wait, don-"

But they were cut off as the blond shrugged free from their grasps and ran past the nurse, his long legs carrying him swiftly down the hall. The nurse sighed and pulled out the black walkie-talkie all the nurses had to have on them, flicking a switch on it and speaking; whatever he said wasn't heard by either of the boys who were already down the hall going after Mello. They ran together, following the sound of shoes smacking against the floor. The sound led them to the cafeteria where they found Mello up on a table, kicking at the nurses trying to sink a syringe into him.

"Don't touch me!" he shouted, his leg colliding with an unlucky nurse's stomach. Said nurse fell to the floor, taking out his walkie-talkie to call for back-up.

"Mello, please calm down!" Matt yelled, but it was as if Mello couldn't hear him in all his anger. Matt was about to yell to him again, but his breath caught as one of the nurses hit Mello hard in his side. He sprang forward as he heard Mello's cry of pain, jumping onto the nurse from behind, his nails gripping the man's neck painfully as they struggled. He let go quickly, however, in favor of running to Mello's side.

Security guards finally entered the cafeteria and Near sighed stressfully as they grabbed hold of Mello and Matt. His toes rubbed together and his finger came up to twirl a lock of his silver hair as he tried to ignore the urge to go help them. He wanted to, but he couldn't. If they all got sedated, then who would watch over them and make sure none of the patients tried anything…funny? It wasn't like the nurses would make sure to lock the door to their room while they were unconscious, and even if they did Near was positive that there were at least three or four patients that could easily pick a lock. So he watched in discontent as the stout security guards held the boys as still as they could so the nurses could sedate them. Within seconds, they went limp, their eyes fluttering closed. Near couldn't help but think that they almost looked peaceful like that.

The silver-haired boy followed the men carrying them towards the door. He briefly glanced at the expressions of those around them; some were laughing, some looked bored, but only one face looked utterly shocked. It was the new patient, Ryuzaki. Near blatantly studied his face, his eyes lingering only a few moments before turning back towards Matt and Mello.

**Light's P.O.V:**

We'd been eating our breakfast peacefully before Mello had run in like a maniac, nurses swarming around him like bees to honey. I sighed; the scene before us was not an unusual one. Most of us had lost track of how many fights, etc, we'd witnessed here. However, I knew that for Ryuzaki this was not the case. As soon as Mello had jumped on the table I'd known how things were going to play out, and my first thought and reaction was to cover Ryuzaki's eyes, or to take him away from the scene. But I couldn't shield him from everything, unfortunately, so he had to see things like this. If I didn't expose him to it now he'd become too vulnerable to last here.

Feeling he'd witnessed enough, I grabbed his hand and led him out of the cafeteria. We walked to our room in silence, his hand trembling in mine as he stared at the floor. He was so shaken up…his seemingly genuine, shocked reaction to what happened surprised me. He couldn't be _that_ innocent and normal; at least not if his file was correct and he'd indeed poisoned a man. That was malicious and kind of passive aggressive as well, right? Enough to not be so affected by something like the scene we'd witnessed minutes before, I think.

I filed all my thoughts away for the moment as we reached our room. I stepped aside to let him in, and he walked forward a bit mechanically, sitting on the bed quietly as I closed the door behind us. I reached for the light switch by the door, but as my eyes fell on him my hand fell. The room was dark, a blue hue looming about, and it made Ryuzaki look almost other-worldly. His porcelain skin seemed to glow against his black hair, and as his eyes met mine I could see the light catch a small amount of tears threatening to flow over. I couldn't describe the feelings stirring up inside me. All I knew was that I wanted to touch him, and the feeling increased as he shivered from the chill in the room, his eyes wavering only slightly. I wanted to melt him to a vulnerable puddle with all the heat I felt surge from my fingers to my toes as he looked at me with such eyes.

I reached into my pocket, pulling out a candy. I unwrapped it and popped it into my mouth. I sucked it and rolled it around my mouth for a few moments before walking over to him. I pulled out another candy and held it out for him to take.

He stared at it in surprise before his shaky hands came forward a bit hesitantly. As he tried to unwrap it, the mint fell to the floor. The brittle candy shattered like glass, bits of red and white shards flying here and there. The sound cut through the silence like a knife and Ryuzaki stared at it pitifully. My mouth twitched as I fought a smirk. I schooled my features and leaned forward, crawling onto the bed and right in front of Ryuzaki. He moved back as my hand leaned against the bed and between his legs to move myself forward. His back finally hit the wall and he stared at me confused and shocked.

"You can have mine, Ryuzaki," I breathed, my hands falling to his sides on the small bed. I moved closer slowly, my eyes meeting his. He inhaled my scent and his wide eyes became lidded, his expression intoxicating. My pants became slightly tighter, and I couldn't help but let my tongue come out. He held his breath as my tongue swept across his lower lip before plunging forward to gently part the soft pillows of his mouth. I breathed against him as I pushed the candy into his mouth; he gasped as our tongues touched and briefly massaged. A string of candy-sweetened saliva fell to his chin as I pulled back, and his hand moved forward to wipe it away with his sleeve. I stopped him though, moving closer again so I could lick it off. I lapped it up eagerly, the sweet taste encouraging me to leave none behind.

His face flushed a pretty pink, his eyes looking down and then back at me embarrassedly, and the word 'submissive' immediately came to mind.

"L-Light," he spoke quietly.

Holding back is only getting harder...

**Near's P.O.V:**

They'd laid the unconscious Mello and Matt on the beds in our room. We'd pushed our three beds together a while ago so the boys were side by side. I sighed. The room was dark seeing as I hadn't bothered to turn the light on, and I was pretty bored. The nurses had locked the door and it made me feel kind of trapped. However, a sense of relief also came along after it since I knew no one would bother us. I looked over to glance at the blond and the red head fondly. Any stress they held looked nonexistent at the moment.

But they also almost looked dead. And just the thought of them deceased could quicken my breath in anxiety and pain.

I got up and moved onto the bed. I squeezed myself between them, taking one of their hands in one of mine as I tried to get comfortable. They weren't going to be waking up for a couple of hours so I might as well try to get some sleep while I wait.

**L's P.O.V:**

I fought the urge to squirm. His eyes were so intense. I could feel them all over me, and strangely, I liked it. I couldn't understand why, but I was actually _pleased _that he was looking at me so…hungrily. This boy, this _beautiful _boy, was interested in me? It seemed surreal. I didn't feel attractive, and I never had really. Thus, there were no names to be put on the emotions I was feeling because I'd never felt them before. I'd never had any sort of interaction with anyone in my life, aside from Naomi kissing me once; but that was completely different. His eyes continued to roam all over me, and I could feel my cheeks getting hotter under his ravenous gaze. I felt _alive_.

And I wanted to kiss him. To _really _kiss him.

I rolled the sweet candy around my mouth, letting a small noise of pleasure slip past my lips as his fingers wandered around my thigh, leaving feather-light touches.

"I don't mind sharing," I breathed.

_What are you saying? _my mind screamed in protest.

But I ignored it. I wanted to tempt him.

He gripped my thigh as the space between us got smaller, his mouth moving towards mine. I inhaled sharply, my fingers coming forward to grab his neck in anticipation, when we were so _cruelly_ interrupted by loud knocks at our door.

"Light! There's someone calling for you in the office!" a voice called.

Light looked at me and back at the door confused. He stroked my cheek gently before he got off of me and headed to the door. He ran his fingers through his hair to fix any out-of-place strands and I mimicked him, combing my wild hair a little so I didn't look so 'caught in the act'.

"Who would be calling for me?" Light asked the rather tall boy with olive toned skin at the door. The boy looked Greek, or maybe Italian.

"'hell should I know," the boy answered, scratching his head. He glanced over to me. "Why hello there, newbie. I'm Nick."

"…I'm Ryuzaki."

"Hey, can you stay with him for a few minutes while I go to the office?" Light asked. "I don't want anyone bothering him."

I gave Light a look. Was he really going to leave me alone with another patient? Light gave me a smile and mouthed 'he's okay' with a small nod.

"Sure thing, Light," Nick answered.

"Thanks." With one last fond look at me, Light left. My face flushed yet again as I recalled our interactions previous to Nick's arrival. The boy looked at me and then back at the door. He smirked to himself, just a little, but it was gone quickly. The boy then smiled at me from behind his dark brown hair, moving over to where I was on the bed. He held out his hand "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ryuzaki."

As I shook his hand, I saw marks on his wrist. I tried to be subtle, but as it registered what exactly those marks were I couldn't hide my expression. His head tilted to the side, and he almost looked like a puzzled puppy as he tried to figure out where my strange reaction had come from. His eyes followed mine to his wrist and he finally understood.

"This is the reason why I'm in here," he said with a weak smile, holding up his arm so I could see all the marks of old cuts. There were so many scars, and they ran the length of most of his arm.

"Why do you do it?" I asked softly.

"Hmm…it's kind of hard to describe really. But, it makes me feel…_alive_. Every time I do it I get a sense of…relief, I guess. The feeling is similar to breaking binds that are constricting me, if that makes any type of sense…" he laughed. I nodded, trying my best to understand how he felt.

"…You know, Light looks at you funny," he told me, his eyes playfully amused.

"Funny?"

"Yeah, extremely _funny_," he replied with a cheeky grin. His words almost sounded threatening, but I could tell that that wasn't how he had intended them to sound. He looked vaguely lost in thought as he continued to smile at me a bit like a naughty child.

"Define 'funny'," I pressed.

"Oh, it's nothing…" he relied, smirk still in place. I pursed my lips.

**Light's P.O.V:**

I walked into the office. It was adorned with few personal things and many green plants. The floor had white tiles and the front desk was slate gray. There were two women behind the desk; they looked around 30 or 40 years old, and they both wore a uniform similar to the nurses.

"And you are?" the brunette asked.

"Light Yagami. I was told someone was calling for me."

"Oh, yes. They're on hold right over there," she pointed to a smaller room in which a small table had a phone on top, and a chair close by. I nodded and walked over, picking up the phone hesitantly. Who could it be?

"Hello?"

"Light?"

"Sayu?" I laughed. I switched to Japanese. (a/n: I'm not gonna write out the Japanese, cuz then I'll have to translate it…it's just easier this way. So put your imagination to work!)

"Light! I miss you so much!" she squeaked cutely. It had been a long time since I'd heard her voice.

"I miss you to, Sayu. How are you? How are mom and dad?" I questioned. Memories of my family swirled through my head, and I found myself much more curious to know how things were than I thought I'd be.

"I'm…surviving. My grades are good, although not as good as yours were, Light," she laughed. "Mom and Dad are fine too. But…"

"…What is it?"

"Well…they're thinking about getting a divorce."

"What? Why? Just how bad has it been?" I was shocked.

"They've just been arguing a lot, ya know? But things have gotten better. I think they're working it out in their own way."

"That's nice to hear. Just keep in touch alright? You don't have to be alone in that, Sayu."

"I know… Oh, I completely forgot! We're going to see you in about two weeks," she said excitedly.

"Really?"

"You think I'd make it up?" she giggled. "And I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?"

"I can't _tell _you! Then it wouldn't be a surprise, obviously," she said happily.

"Alright, alright. I love you and I guess I'll see you soon, Sayu."

"Yeah, I love you too. Bye Light."

"Bye."

I hung up. I was unaware of the smile on my face. I'd really missed her; probably the most. But what could that 'surprise' be? I shrugged it off, walking out of the office and back to my room.

When I finally got there, I opened the door to find Nick talking freely. Ryuzaki had his knees to his chest, listening intently to whatever Nick had been discussing with him until I walked in.

"Oh, hey Light. Ya know, this guy's a good listener," he said pointing to Ryuzaki.

Ryuzaki smiled and I laughed. "Thanks for staying with him."

"No problem," he said with playful wink. I watched as he left, closing the door behind him. He was a strange guy. He was always so happy, yet he spent half his life cutting himself, it seemed.

"I figured we'd go take a shower if you'd like," I suggested. He nodded and together we grabbed a change of clothes and walked out of the room.

I led him down the halls, past the leisure room and cafeteria, until we made it to a clear glass door. We pulled it open and walked down the stairs. I always thought it was creepy that the showers were on a lower level, and I guess Ryuzaki thought so too if his expression said anything.

The shower area was very large. There were about 15 water spouts, but everyone showered whenever they wanted to, so they were never all used at once. There were white dividers between each spout so patients could have some privacy, I suppose, and the tiles on the wall and floor were small sand colored squares that felt smooth beneath your feet. The room smelled of bleach and chlorine, and within the last ten years or so they'd added air vents to heat the room to a more comfortable temperature for the patients; it was greatly appreciated.

"There's soap, shampoo, and conditioner here," I told him, my eyes motioning towards a large rack. The rack beside that one held towels, but this rack was more like a cabinet since it had doors; they were always closed to keep the towels dry.

"Alright."

We stripped in silence, putting our clothes in the laundry basket nearby. We both grabbed a bar of soap and said nothing as we showered, enjoying the heat and overall relaxing atmosphere. To be honest, I was curious to see him naked. My eyes quickly darted over to where he was, but saw nothing but his shoulders and up thanks to the dividers. I pouted to myself. How cruel…

I watched his features soften as he relaxed, his hair completely soaked and reaching down to his shoulders. His hair had so much volume when it was dry that it looked much shorter than it actually was; the black tresses reached his shoulders. I held back a chuckle as I looked him over. He looked…pretty. Like a girl almost. His almond eyes were closed, giving him a tranquil demeanor, and I sighed. I looked away and finished showering quickly so I wouldn't do anything impulsive. When we were both done I walked over to get our towels. I pursed my lips as I pulled out the only towel in there; the nurses must've forgotten to bring more.

"There's only one towel here, so I'll go get another from the storage room down the hall. They usually have more there," I said. He nodded and I left to go get his towel quickly.

**L's P.O.V:**

I leaned against the shower wall, waiting for Light to get back. I grabbed the shampoo; I might as well wash my hair while I wait.

I let out a long sigh. I didn't know what to do with all the emotions Light was stirring up. I was so used to suppressing all my feelings that I didn't have any idea how to deal with them, and it was risky to be in such an unsure state of mind in such a dangerous environment. I was pulled out of my thoughts at the sound of feet against creaky stairs.

"Light?" I called, rushing to wash the shampoo out of my hair so I could see.

"Light? Who are you and why would you be expecting Light?" an amused voice answered. I opened my eyes, blinking away the water. A blond boy came into view. He didn't look like any of the other patients I'd seen.

"I-I'm Ryuzaki," I stuttered. His expression was strange…more like unnerving. I didn't like it at all. His eyes met mine, and I instinctively took a step back. His gaze was predatory.

"Ryuzaki, huh? I'm Riley…"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Dun dun DUNNNN! *insert dramatic music here* How was the chapter? I was going to write out the whole shower scene but then the thought to leave you guys with a lovely cliffhanger came into mind. X) Because I left off where I did, the next chapter is going to be pretty...<em>interesting<em>. *evil laugh***

**Please leave a review~ :D**


	8. Marks

**Author's Note: Finally, I know! Sorry for taking a while to upload… I'll give you my excuses at the end, lol.**

**P.S: Yay~! I finally reached 50 reviews! Thanks everyone! :D**

**Chapter 8. Marks**

"R-Riley?" I tried.

"You know, Ryuzaki…" he started, "You…are beautiful." His eyes met mine, and they seemed to glow with admiration as he continued, "Like a clean slate…you beg to be painted upon…"

He pulled his shirt off and threw it into the laundry. I said nothing, and he leaned against the closed door. His eyes closed momentarily, long eyelashes emphasized, and he seemed to be lost in thought. His hands moved to his pants, but moved away as his eyes slid open, and the small grin accompanied by the stare he directed towards me was nothing less than enthralled.

"Your mind begs to be shattered, and your body begs to be marred!" he cooed excitedly, his eyes looking me over. "How truly exquisite you are…"

"I'm afraid you find me much more interesting than even I find myself," I stated defensively.

"Modest as well…how _do_ you view yourself? Because quite frankly, it's much more fun to ruin something that doesn't know of its perfection."

His smile was in place, but I could see the challenge, the threat, behind his words. I tried not to let my anxiety show, my hand coming against the wall for support as I retorted, "I think it's safe to assume that you enjoy corrupting vulnerable things. However, that's a bit like cheating."

His smile disappeared, replaced by a merciless blankness.

"_Cheating_? You can cheat in a game, not a way of life; there aren't always rules to protect the _weak_," he spat calmly, his eyes piercing. "I suppose you'd call it survival of the fittest…"

"…"

"But I'm no animal, nor are you, yet we both have our roles as animals do. I am an artist…one that understands the delicate ways of blank canvases such as yourself," he said softly.

"Correct me if I'm mistaken, but your intentions are selfish. Are they not?" I replied dully. He had challenged me, and I would not lose this game. Besides, regardless of if I was willing to play, I was at his mercy now, and he seemed like just the type of patient I should be staying away from.

"Selfish? Is that really what you'd call it? I create magnificent pieces of art for all the world to see..." He walked closer to me. "_Correct me if I'm mistaken_," he mocked, "but the contrast of your blood against your ivory skin is worthy of such a pedestal, is it not?"

My throat tightened, and I felt my stomach churn. Sudden fear washed over my body as I fought to maintain my impassive façade before his predatory gaze.

"Tell me…who are you to Light Yagami?" he asked, eyes staring at me with threatening intent.

"W-What?" I stuttered.

"I've heard a bit of what you could call _gossip_ regarding you two…"

I said nothing, continuing to analyze his words even as he waited for a response.

"Shall we try this again?" he said with a facetious smirk. "_Who are you to Light Yagami?_"

"A friend, I suppose," I answered hesitantly. I wasn't sure of the answer to that question myself.

"A _friend_? I doubt it," he scoffed, staring at his nails.

I watched him. He walked slowly but surely, like a cat to a mouse. His steps were light and almost completely silent, and his eyes were as cold as ice, but held a certain fiery undertone that was barely noticeable.

"For him you're just a tool," he stated.

"I am _not_," I defended weakly. I wasn't sure what Light's intentions were; for all I knew, I could be nothing more than a pawn in his eyes. It was that thought that drained the small amount of confidence I had left in my voice.

"Yes, you _are_. Whether you choose to deny or acknowledge that fact is your choice, I suppose…" he said, sending me a twisted smile.

I couldn't help but consider his words. He's most likely correct. Which is more probable? Light genuinely took a sudden liking to me, or Light is only gaining my trust for his own personal gain? Frankly, the latter is much more realistic. I could feel my facial expression becoming laced with anxiety, and I tried to bring back my stoic mask before he saw, but it was too late. My vulnerability was being advertised before him now, and it seemed to urge him to come closer to me.

"You look like a frightened lamb."

With those words, I was spun around suddenly, pinned to the wall before me. It took me several moments to process what had happened, and my reaction was a bit delayed as I fought against him.

"Let me _go_," I demanded angrily, but the panic was distinguishable in my voice.

"Disobedience is not befit of someone with such an important role. It's much more difficult to transform you into something beautiful when you struggle," he whispered in my ear. "But then again, resistance is a rare nuance; it is unique, to say the least."

His hold was strong. He used only one hand to keep my arms above my head, his other hand raking gently along my side. The tips of his fingers barely touched me, and I shivered in fear. Then his nails were at my side, cutting into my skin. I fought to get away, trying my best to squirm out of his grasp, but I refused to make a sound. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Come now, you can do better than that…"

His fingers gripped my face and turned it so I was looking into his eyes. He gave me a smile, and almost without thinking I spit at him. My side was burning and I could feel blood trailing the length of my torso already. His fingers gripped at my hair violently, tugging it painfully as he moved forward, his teeth moving lightly along my shoulder. He giggled, and I felt myself becoming desperate.

"Bastard!" I seethed.

**Light's P.O.V:**

There hadn't been extra towels in the storage room (to my annoyance) so I'd had to walk all the way to the nurses lounge, in only a towel by the way, to ask for more. I didn't really care, but it was troublesome nonetheless. I hurried to get back to Ryuzaki.

I opened the clear door and prepared to call out to the raven-haired man, but I was cut off by a shout.

"Bastard!"

I rushed down the stairs to find him pressed against the wall, blood contrasting against his creamy complexion like dirt on a wedding dress. And the person holding him there…

"Riley!" I shouted.

His head snapped over to me, and he gave me a bright, childlike smile. He released Ryuzaki immediately, leaving him against the shower wall. His fingers, red with blood, raked through his blonde hair. He walked over to me until he was only about a foot away.

"You interrupted me, Light…" he said, his eyes sparkling with what I saw as true insanity.

I looked at Ryuzaki, and the marks in his side, and then looked back to Riley. Before I'd even thought about it, my hand had whipped back, colliding with the blonde's face sharply. The noise it caused seemed to echo throughout the room. After a few moments, his face turned back towards me. His bangs covered his eyes, but I could tell he was staring.

"You _dare_ to touch what isn't yours?" I yelled angrily. I was sure he'd heard from one of the patients that no one was to touch Ryuzaki, yet he'd intentionally done this.

"He doesn't _belong_ to you, Light. And I find it laughable that you think striking me will result in no _consequences_," he shouted, lunging towards me with deadly intent.

We fell to the floor, struggling to dodge kicks and punches, yet completely set on hurting one another. I was livid with him, and I knew that I'd struck him on a certain level by slapping him like that. So the punches flew, and we fought viciously.

**L's P.O.V:**

Next thing I knew, Riley had released me. I'd immediately turned around, my back against the wall. I had been prepared to run, but then I'd heard a shout and saw Light.

I'd hardly heard what they were saying, my eyes only on him. I felt safe now. I knew Light was on my side; especially when I saw the absolute rage in his eyes as he processed the situation. Amongst their heated arguing Light had slapped Riley, and I knew things were only going to get worse from there.

Their fighting was almost too fast for me to follow. A punch hit the brunette's chest, and another hit the blonde's side, and I found that watching Light was almost mesmerizing. He looked like a lion fighting; fierce and beautiful. Then the towel around his waist had slipped off, and I'd looked away instinctively before my gaze returned.

They'd finally broken apart for a moment. Light's lip was bleeding, as was Riley's nose. Just as Riley had been about to pounce again though, Light spoke:

"I heard that Will commit suicide." His smile was twisted.

"W-What?" Riley stuttered. He stopped, staring at Light with eyes as wide as saucers.

"From what I know, he'd been so lonely when they'd taken you away that he'd decided to hang himself…" Light said maliciously.

"Y-You're lying!" Riley said, fear in his eyes. It was so strange to see him like that; he looked at fragile as glass.

"According to police reports," Light continued, "he'd left a note beside where they'd found him. He said he'd been broken without anyone, that when they took his brother from him he'd lost _everything_."

"There's no way you could know that!" Riley screamed, his hands twisting into his hair.

"Riley, you know I know _everything_," he reminded deviously.

I was positive that this was the other side of Light I had been suspicious of. Whether or not it was only reserved for times like these, or this was an example of his true colors, I didn't know. And knowing the answer to that question made all the difference.

"It's _your fault_, Riley. You left him all alone in that orphanage…" he pressed.

The blonde clamped his hands over his ears, and his knees drew to his chest as he shook his head violently.

"It wasn't my fault! I didn't do it!" Riley defended. He looked deranged and detached from the situation at this point. The way he'd switched so fast from predator to prey was truly startling. Then the flailing stopped, and I could see the tears welled up in his eyes as they darted here and there, looking no where in particular as he thought.

"…H-He did it for me…Yes, yes, I-I should be proud," he looked up at us, his lips curling upward in a shaky grin. "His death was magnificent! A true picture of beauty! It was a gift to me!" he cried, arms hugging his torso as he blinked water away from his eyes. He lay out on the sand colored floor, his arms coiling around himself a bit tighter. The water on the floor soaked his pants and made small sounds as he unconsciously rocked himself from side to side.

"He loved me! It was all for _me_!" Riley laughed.

"Come Ryuzaki," Light called. I went over to him and he grabbed my hand. He kissed my fingers reassuringly as he dried me quickly, grabbing a set of clothes for both of us from the large rack. The moment we were both dressed he dragged me up the stairs and away from the scene. As we walked down the halls, Light briefly stopped a nurse.

"Someone should tend to Riley. He's in the showers having a fit." The nurse nodded promptly, and Light continued to pull me along. Once we'd reached our room Light guided me in, closing the door and turning to face me.

"I'm so sorry, Ryuzaki," he said softly. The sincerity in his voice was intense, and all I could do was nod. "Had I known he was out of solitary confinement I would have never left you alone," he continued.

He strode over to me and pulled me into his chest. My body seemed to melt into the warm embrace, and his hands came to stroke the black tresses at my neck. I sighed at the comforting touch, leaning into him; my body grew lax against his, and I suddenly felt the urge to lie down. I eyed the bed, and Light seemed to understand. He hoisted me up into his arms like I was a child, laying me down. His fingers brushed away the tears at the corners of my eyes, and he moved so that his cheek was against my chest. He listened to my rapid heartbeat, his long fingers tracing small circles along my arm.

"Forgive me," he said.

After a few moments he moved away. I watched him, my stare laced with mild confusion. He said nothing as he gently lifted my shirt above my head.

"I'm so sorry…"

He moved to the cuts on my side. He kissed them ever so gently, his tongue coming out to lick away what remained of the rivulets of blood that had been flowing minutes before.

"Light," I winced quietly, my fingers grabbing at his hair weakly.

He continued to lap at the stinging wound softly, only moving away slightly when my body was free of crimson stains. When I expected him to pull away however, his mouth only continued to graze against my skin. My breathing became a bit erratic as he started to trail kisses up my chest. His arms wrapped around my torso carefully, and his mouth met my collarbone. His tongue darted forward, sweeping along my jugular, and then the side of my neck. He sucked, and I could feel more than hear him suppress a low moan as a soft sound slipped past my lips. My arms grabbed at his shoulders desperately, as if to anchor myself against the incessant waves of simple pleasure. He was reducing me to a whimpering mess as his mouth laved careful attention to my ribcage, and then my waist.

**Light's P.O.V:**

That bastard… Of course he'd get his hands on Ryuzaki in the 10 minutes I leave him alone. On a regular basis, I usually couldn't care less of what Riley did. Most of the time it was actually entertaining to watch him wreak havoc amongst the other patients, but this was completely different. He had touched Ryuzaki; _my _Ryuzaki. He was the _only _thing in this awful place that I had claimed as mine, and of course, someone had to mess with that. They all had something. Even Riley had Leo; not that the brunette was totally aware of that... Regardless, everyone had something or someone, except for me. Had I ever complained? No. But this was the limit for me. If anyone messed with him again I'd raise hell. Not only had Riley bothered him, but he'd _marked_ him. That was half of the reason why I was sucking every spot on the man before me; I made sure to leave a noticeable mark along his neck for everyone to see.

His arms grabbed at my shoulders and I could feel him shudder beneath me. It was almost as if he was _trying _to tempt me. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't; either way, his pretty little whimpers and suggestive moans were tempting nonetheless. I hugged him close to me, my hand coming up to his silky hair. I cradled his head, letting him nuzzle into my neck as I tried to soothe him.

"Sleep," I whispered.

He nodded against me, and I held him as close as I could, feeling his heart beat against mine. I noted that our breathing didn't obstruct one another's; as I exhaled, he inhaled. It felt natural to have him so close.

**Mello's P.O.V:**

At first I'd been just a little annoyed that Near hadn't helped Matt and I, but as he explained I felt stupid. He had been thinking rationally, and the decision he'd made wasn't a selfish one at all. I had kissed him as I apologized for being so impulsive, and I had thanked Matt for helping me even when I had been totally out of it. They always had my back, and for that I was grateful. I don't know what I'd do without them, really.

At the moment we were in the leisure room. Matt was playing against Tommy in some video game that I didn't know the name of, and Near was putting some 10,000 piece puzzle together (he'd already finished almost half of it in about eight minutes). I was sitting on the couch, watching the other patients, listening to them talk about how Riley had had some episode in the shower earlier. Honestly, I couldn't give two shits. The damn boy was always causing trouble in some way. You'd think he'd try to behave, at least for a little while, seeing as he _just _got out of solitary confinement. But I guess he didn't care; that was one of the things that made him so insane.

"I hope they don't put him away again…" Leo said worriedly. The brunette twiddled his fingers as he stared out the window, flipping his hair out of his face, revealing a small beauty mark by his left eye.

"Says the only patient Riley would ever spare," Nick said.

"Oh, shut up," Leo replied with a roll of his eyes, hand on his hip.

"It's true, though," Tommy encouraged.

"You know, I was hoping he'd darken these. They're fading," he said, fingering the thin lines of red around his neck.

"What the fuck, Leo?" I interjected. Sick bastard.

"Well I can't very well do it myself…" he trailed off. He slipped his shirt off as he walked over to me. He grabbed the sleeve with both his hands, and put it gently around my neck a bit like a noose, his chin resting on my shoulder. "It would have to be done like this…" he pouted.

"You're really twisted, you know?" a voice exclaimed.

Everyone in the room turned to the doorway to see Jace. I fought a grimace as I remembered what the fuck had said hours earlier. Leo moved off of me, pulling his shirt back over his head. "At least I don't antagonize certain dangerous blondes when I'm bored…" he said, his eyes motioning to me.

Jace narrowed his eyes but said nothing. As everyone once again became preoccupied, he moved over to sit next to me on the rather comfy couch. I stared at him incredulously. He had the _audacity_ to sit next to me after all the shit he'd sa-

"Here," he said. He held out his hand, and my heart skipped a beat as I recognized what he was holding.

_Chocolate_.

Well, that was one way to win me over…

He gave me a small smile, and I knew that this was his way of apologizing. I sighed, taking the bar of my addiction, and gave him a smirk back. He must've bugged the shit out of one of the lunch ladies to get this. I unwrapped it quickly, biting off a chunk immediately. Sweetness filled my mouth and I couldn't help but close my eyes in content. Maybe Jace wasn't such a bastard after all.

**Author's Note: Again, I apologize for the wait, but I had writers block. T~T**

**I couldn't figure out how to go about Riley's insanity either…I think it worked out alright though…**

**I hope you enjoyed reading! Please leave a review! :D**


	9. Therapy

**Author's Note: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's an update! ;O;**

**This entire chapter is written in third person…don't ask me why, cuz I honestly don't know... O.o**

**P.S: This chapter would have been uploaded like 3 days ago, but I was having uploading problems with FFN; I'm not sure what the problem was, but whatever, it's working now. ^^**

**Enjoy~**

**Chapter 9. Therapy**

As the dark-haired detective awoke gently, he immediately felt the emotions behind the dreams he'd been having rush through him. He couldn't quite remember what had happened within them, but he had a feeling that it had had something to do with Naomi. The nostalgic embrace he was in at the moment had triggered such dreams, no doubt. He closed his eyes, taking short breaths so as to not bother his sleeping counterpart. He watched his face, feeling the movement of his chest against his own as they breathed.

_Will this boy be my end?_

He couldn't shake his suspicion off. Would it even be wise to do so? When had his suspicions ever been wrong? However…even if the boy _would_ cause his early demise, could being destroyed by something so beautiful, so angelic, be anything to complain about? Should it be seen as some sort of privilege? He shook his head lightly in disapproval at such an absurd thought. This boy was his equal, in a sense; why should being destroyed by another human being be a _privilege_?

But he'd never seen someone so utterly _handsome _before; not just handsome, but charming, and intelligent on a level that was close to his own. All this, and he had not even _one_ disability; he wasn't crippled, he didn't have asthma, he didn't even need _glasses_…How could such perfection even coincide with all the corruption around it? It almost wasn't fair. Not to everyone else, who felt lesser around such an other-worldly being, and not to said being either since he was forced to be around those that differed so greatly from himself. But this couldn't be the case. He was human, and humans had blemishes, imperfections. His faults must be within.

The sleuth was suddenly reminded of Lucifer; the rebel archangel that had challenged God's supremacy. It was said that he'd once been a beautiful angel, and one of the closest angels to God. But regardless of such outer beauty, his core had been rotten; stricken with jealousy towards God's newest fixation with humanity, he'd become consumed with sin like the very race he despised.

Lucifer translated as _light-bearer_, such an ironic and contradictory name. Perhaps this was the same sick humor that had promised that the brunette next to him would be named _Light_ at birth. Coincidence or not, it was an odd name; also, not Japanese in any way. He couldn't help but wonder what his parents, the ones who most likely chose his name, would give as an explanation if asked why they'd picked it.

The 17 year old stirred in his arms, and the older man looked up to meet the fluttering eyes before him. Blinking away the daze of sleep, his eyes focused on the pale face in front of him, meeting the large, insomnia-ridden dark eyes.

"Have you been awake long?" Light asked.

L shook his head, answering "No more than five minutes."

"Hmm, I like sleeping with you, Ryuzaki."

"...The feeling is mutual," he admit.

It took the raven approximately half a second later to realize the double entendre behind the brunette's words. He actually hadn't expected such a remark to come from Light, regardless of the playful tone behind it, and found that he'd fallen right into the younger boy's little trap. L's eyes met the other's with light suspicion, to which the brunette sent him an innocent and confused look back, but the amusement in his eyes told L everything he needed to know. The boy laughed at L's narrowed eyes and the sound was like wind chimes. He pulled the other boy tighter, arms wrapping around him in a gentle hug. L closed his eyes and relaxed as he enjoyed the feeling, savored it even, before he forced his eyes back open and tensed a little. Recently, his body had been so very bothersome. While his brain told him to feel one thing, it seemed his body had a mind of its very own. Light ignored the slightly hesitant body next to him and put his nose to the black hair before him and inhaled, smiling inwardly at the clean smell. There was something about the man that was so _pure_, yet he felt as if there was so much more to him, so much more he needed to uncover. He pushed the thought aside as he wiggled himself lower to meet the boy's stomach. L looked down at him curiously, but he ignored the stare in favor of continuing what he'd wanted to do. He pulled up the man's shirt, going in for the kill. He attacked the man's stomach with kisses, his nose nuzzling affectionately at the skin before him. Thin fingers gripped his shoulders quickly in a gesture that could only be interpreted as 'stop'.

"No," he smiled.

And then he heard it.

A breathy chuckle. No, not even that; it was a nearly silent vibration from within L's chest, followed by the faintest of smiles that lingered merely a second. He felt his chest whiz with determination as he moved back to his stomach, laving more kisses to sensitive areas such as his hips, and then his sides. His reward was a light giggle and a gentle shove for mercy. But he ignored it, deciding to kick it up a notch, this time letting his tongue dip into the small dent in his naval, his hands coming up to grip and touch wherever they could. Then the man laughed, finally giving up against the pleasant torture.

"Stop t-tickling…me!" he begged through his teeth, failing at suppressing his laugher.

"Why should I when I'm finally getting you to smile?" Light laughed.

"Dammit, Light!" he cried. As much as he tried to sound stern and serious, he couldn't. How could he be mad with the beautiful boy smiling at him, touching him so fondly?

Light finally stopped tormenting the man, quite happy with the results he'd received. He moved back up, leaving kisses on his neck, then his jaw, then his cheeks. He met L's lidded gaze with a small smirk, coming close to his ear.

"It seems I've found your weakness," he joked in a whisper.

* * *

><p>The patients in the North Wing of Mansfield had been called to room 108 by the nurses. Apparently, someone had suggested to Namikawa that the patients should start talking to someone like a guidance counselor to express their feelings, after hearing of all the violence.<p>

"What did the nurse mean by 'North Wing'?"

"There are four wings at Mansfield," Light explained as he walked down the hall with L, looking for the correct room. "We're in the North Wing. The North Wing is for teens and young adults; patients within the age range of 13 to 29." L nodded and Light continued, "The South Wing is for any children, under 13 obviously. The East Wing is for adults up to age 56. And the West Wing is for the elderly patients. There aren't many patients here though, seeing as this is a…_special _institution."

L nodded, "…Have they ever had any 'meetings' like this with the patients before?"

"I'm not sure, but there haven't been any since I've been here."

"How long have you been here?"

"About three years."

Curiosity hit L hard, but he wouldn't ask why Light was in here. Then the brunette would ask why_ he_ was here, and he really didn't want to get into that.

"Well, here it is," Light announced. They walked in, immediately greeted by a warm glow flowing through the windows, and rather spacious surroundings. There were about 15 chairs placed in a large circle, and there was a woman sitting in one of them facing the door.

"Welcome," she said with a smile.

She was a thin woman, but wasn't too skinny, and her brown hair was cut rather short in a curly, stylish bob. Her skin was very light, her cheeks a soft pink, as was her lip gloss. She had a pretty face, and looked like she was probably in her late twenties.

"Have a seat," she said, motioning to one of the many chairs.

The boys took their seat, eyeing the room and woman. She hummed to herself as she sorted through papers, glancing up at the clock occasionally. After about five minutes, familiar patients started to flow into the room. They walked in, looking over everything with an odd expression.

_What is this, therapy? Weren't we sent to Mansfield because we __**couldn't **__be fixed? _Mello thought to himself as he sat down, sending confused looks to his two partners.

Leo walked in then, and behind him was Riley. Light made a look as if he'd smelled something unpleasant, but L remained impassive. The raven refused to let the blond intimidate him.

More patients walked in, and after everyone settled in and stopped looking to Light for answers, the woman cleared her throat. "Welcome everyone. I'm Ms. O'Connell, and I'm here to talk to you guys about whatever you'd like," she smiled. "This meeting is for your benefit, so I want you all to feel free to speak your mind."

Silence.

"Are you _crazy_?" Tommy asked.

Soft chuckles filled the room as the woman turned her gaze to the red-head. "_Crazy _is such a loose term. It can be viewed and perceived so many different ways. I may be crazy to you, but I may not be crazy to the next person," she answered.

More silence.

"I like her. I can tell she's one of those people that win arguments by playing constant mind games," Nick said with a laugh.

"Mind games, huh? You could be right. But this isn't about me. This is about all of _you_. So would anyone like to start? You can say whatever you'd like," she insisted.

"…"

"Okay…how about this: everyone say something that they love or are fond of in only one word. We'll go around the circle clockwise, starting with me." She looked to everyone for approval, and took their stares as a yes. "Alright…swimming. Now you go," she said, looking at Mello.

"…Chocolate."

"Good," she encouraged, "now you."

"Puzzles," Near said, curling a strand of his silver hair between his fingers.

"…Routine," Matt answered shyly.

"Talking," Nick said with a smirk.

"Running," Tommy offered.

"Sex," Leo stated.

"You _would _go there," Jace laughed.

The Italian raised his middle finger, causing a few more chuckles, before turning to the blond next to him. "Your turn," he said to Riley.

"Art."

"Action," Jace said.

"Games," Light informed. Nothing was better than a good game to ease his boredom. He turned to L.

"Justice," he answered in a monotonous voice, knees to his chest, thumb to his lip. He received strange looks, but he ignored them. _Justice_ was the perfect answer for a detective like him. Or more accurately, _former _detective…

"People," the youngest patient in the room, Taro, answered.

"Good, good. Now we're going to go around the circle again; this time I want you all to say one word to describe why you like or love the things you all just stated. My word would be 'weightless'. Your turn," she smiled at Mello.

"Orgasmic."

"Since when is chocolate _orgasmic_?" Tommy questioned.

"Since when is it _not_?" Mello retorted. "Now go before he talks again," the blond said to Near with a grin. Tommy rolled his eyes.

"Challenge."

"…Comfort."

"That's cute, Mattie," Mello whispered. He placed a soft kiss on Near's cheek. "I can't reach him, so pass that to Matt for me," he said with a playful smirk. The pale boy did as he was told, turning to kiss Matt's cheek, his lips lingering for a couple seconds before pulling away just as Mello had.

"Fags," Jace joked.

"I have this _weird _feeling that you _like _provoking Mello," Taro said laughing.

"Not Mello, _specifically_. He's just the most fun to fight with."

"Masochist," Light chuckled.

"It actually works out in a way; Jace is always there when I have the urge to beat the shit out of someone, so our relationship is pretty symbiotic," Mello laughed. The blond looked over at Tommy expectantly.

"Freedom," he sighed.

Leo grinned, "_Pleasure_."

"Beauty," Riley said passionately, his eyes falling on L briefly, causing Light to send him a glare.

"Excitement," Jace said, his eyes glowing.

"Entertainment," Light said, rearranging his bangs carefully.

"Balance," L said. Actions needed consequences; otherwise there would be no natural _flow_. Without justice, things would be utterly chaotic.

"Company," Taro answered happily, his large eyes bright. Light couldn't help but think that Taro reminded him of Sayu.

"Alright. Now does anyone remember the first time they'd felt that way about the thing they mentioned? Or why you feel that way at the moment?" Ms. O'Connell asked. She smiled at the nods she got in return. "We'll go around a third time. However, you can answer in as many words as you'd like this time," she said.

"…When I was younger, my mother used to give me chocolate to make me feel better whenever I was upset. So I now equate chocolate with good feelings," Mello answered. He looked up cautiously, giving certain people a stare that said 'I _dare _you to laugh'.

No one laughed.

"In times where I could not focus, puzzles kept me occupied and challenged my mind," Near informed, his eyes blank as he looked towards Matt.

"Routine has always been comfortable for me because there are no surprises, which means that there's nothing to have to be prepared for," Matt explained, looking to his left at Nick.

"I had spent two years without speaking a word. I guess it was some type of rebellion against those around me… But after a while I realized that no one _cared_, so I changed my approach. I spoke about anything and everything, to anyone. It was almost as if I was making up for the years I had been mute," Nick said a bit solemnly before giving a pleasant smile.

"I won't go into detail, but I had been put in a _bad _situation when I was younger; it was the situation that landed me here, actually," Tommy swallowed with a twinge of anxiety at the memory, and continued, "The only thing I could think to do was to get away from the situation, so I ran. It helped me feel…less trapped."

Leo sighed, hand coming to his neck as he stretched slightly. "I think my answer and the situation to which it pertains is pretty obvious, enough that I shouldn't have to elaborate; but for anyone who wantsme to say _something_, I'd say that instant gratification is the draw."

Everyone nodded, turning their attention to Riley. "My appreciation for life's minor and major beauties was heightened under certain circumstances. The way my mind opened up to see such wonders clearer is art in itself, really."

_Crazy bastard… _Light thought to himself. _He can take his __**artistic view**__ on things, and shove it straight up his-_

"Anything fast paced keeps my attention, which is exactly what I need most of the time. I don't like to be left alone with my thoughts," Jace answered smoothly.

"You can still _think_ after being punched by Mello so many times?" Nick laughed.

"Apparently," Jace replied with a roll of his eyes, his hand running through his dark hair and covering the white streak for a moment.

"Games of any kind are entertaining. Not only do they demand effort and planning in most cases, which is fun and challenging in itself, but they alleviate _boredom_," the brunette answered, saying the last word as if it were a vulgar curse. His honey eyes fell on the monochromatic man next to him.

_I might as well be honest… They won't be able to contrive anything solid from my statement if I keep it vague_, L thought.

"As a former detective, 'justice' coincides with my morals in a way that most cannot understand," L stated, rubbing his toes together on his chair.

Light's eyes widened in surprise; _Former __**detective**__?_

**Author's Note: Sorry for ending the chapter kind of abruptly… ^^' But the next main event will take up most of the next chapter because it will lead to yet another main event; said event being lemony smut with our favorite threesome (well they're _my _favorite threesome…). :D Anyone up for MattxMelloxNear? ;)**

**Review if you'd like… (~*v*)~**

**P.S: Are my random original characters annoying or acceptably realistic? Let me know if you review, please. :3**


	10. Reaction

**Author's Note: Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I have no reason to celebrate this year, as some of my friends don't either, so we'll be celebrating 'Forever Alone Day' tomorrow. Lol, you can celebrate with us if you like. X)**

**Sorry for the really slow update! I had writer's block. T~T The stupid part was that I knew (for the most part) what I wanted to write, but couldn't get to typing it. It was so retarded…**

**Anyways, thanks to my aunt for pushing me to type since she wanted to take a nap (she says the sound of my typing makes her sleepy…not sure why…); I wrote most of this yesterday and finished it today.**

**Enjoy~**

**Chapter 10. Reaction**

Recap:

_I might as well be honest… They won't be able to contrive anything solid from my statement if I keep it vague_, L thought.

"As a former detective, 'justice' coincides with my morals in a way that most cannot understand," L stated, rubbing his toes together on his chair.

Light's eyes widened in surprise; _Former __**detective**__?_

Light's breath caught, but he stopped himself before he could make a sound. Everyone else around the room had looks that were equal to what he was feeling, what he was masking as well as an experienced actor could.

…L was a detective. This was one of the larger missing pieces of the complex puzzle that was Ryuzaki, L Lawliet. A wave of understanding washed over Light, suddenly followed by confusion. This man was a detective. That explained his weird detachment from people; it was a common thing for those to try to mentally and emotionally protect themselves when in such a morbid line of work. But this conclusion also baffled him; L had reacted so strongly to simple things such as the struggle in the cafeteria, and he had been so overwhelmed that he'd nearly cried from the experience with Riley… That didn't make sense. He should be used to seeing things like that. He was a _detective_!

But why was he in _here_ then? Light recalled that his file had said he'd poisoned a man… Why would a detective poison someone? Wasn't justice instilled within them like it should be? Light didn't dare look at L, afraid that the man would be looking back at him with those large, calculating eyes. L was not stupid; in fact, Light surmised that he was on the same level as him which was quite a feat. So even if he _had _poisoned someone, how would they have found any evidence to persecute him? Maybe the man had _wanted _to be caught… However, Light didn't get that feeling from the raven. L had been so unhappy here, so frightened. Unless that was all an act. But what would he gain from acting so fragile? If anything, his vulnerability would be seen by the others and endanger him. That had been the situation with Riley. So his 'act' was most likely genuine.

He suddenly felt a swell of admiration in his chest. He didn't know what the deal was with why he was in here, but this man was a detective. He lived for justice, and Light felt himself almost smiling, his mouth twitching violently in an urge to grin like an idiot. L was like him! He had not known why he'd taken such a liking to the man when he'd first met him, but this must have been it. He must have somehow sensed the man's dedication to the law. As unrealistic as this sounded, Light found that the thought was extremely pleasant. It was like _fate _had sent him this wonderful enigma.

Another thought flew into Light's mind as his brain processed everything, trying to make sense of it somehow. Since when do people get sent to an asylum for poisoning someone? There were plenty of murderers in the world that were sane and aware of their actions, so what made L different? Even if he _hadn't _been aware of his actions, actually being able to prove that would be nearly impossible, and probably wouldn't even be considered in a court house. Adding to that, L was remarkably intelligent; Light could sense this from him, could see it in his dark eyes. How could he be unaware of killing someone? Poisoning was usually premeditated. Unless the man had a personality disorder and hadn't been 'himself'?

Maybe he was sane but just had an amazing lawyer; or maybe the judge had taken one look at him and immediately decided insanity wasn't too far fetched for the queer man; would someone bribe a judge to send him here instead of jail? No, why would they do that when they could just bribe him to let him go, free of charge.

Light pondered all these ideas, as he tried to dissect everything about the man that he knew so that things would make sense and no longer be clouded. L was reclusive and introverted; he had at least a bit of social skills, however miniscule they may be. He didn't seem to hide anything, he just didn't mention anything about himself; Light wondered, if he asked L something personal, how would he answer? Would he refuse and tell him that it was private, would he lie, or would he be honest? Light wasn't sure, but he didn't think L would lie. It didn't seem like the man to say something for another's benefit in such a circumstance. That was another thing; Light couldn't sense any fraudulence from the pale man. His instinct told him that he was an honest man, but his mind continued to rethink things several times as if it didn't trust Light's own judgment. Light watched the man as he sat in his trademark position, thumb to his lip as he thought as well. Was he biased when it came to L? He had never really taking a liking to anyone; not like _that_. He figured that he could indeed be biased, because L was a genius like he was, and that was enough for Light to put him on a pedestal in his mind. But maybe the brunette was all wrong. Maybe L was an amazing liar, and even had Light fooled. He couldn't know for sure. Light looked around, trying to concentrate on the situation at hand again. It had taken him approximately 15 seconds to go through his analysis of everything, yet his mind was still restless and wracked with confusion.

"No shit? You're a detective?" Tommy asked incredulously.

"_Was_," L corrected. "My career has been…'put on hold', as I am here."

"How impressive. No wonder you're so mysterious," Nick said with a smile.

"That also explains why Light likes you so much. Justice is in his damn DNA being the son of the Chief of the NPA," Mello answered factually.

Light inwardly cursed. Of course Mello would go telling L that. He'd let that personal fact slip once and it seemed that the blond had not forgotten. It had been Light's plan to ask L questions, and if the man said no he was going to try and work out something so that they would both find out more about each other. L's curiosity would probably be in Light's favor in that way. But that had been a particularly large fact about his life that he'd been planning to use.

Just as Light had done nothing to let anyone know he hadn't known L had been a detective, L didn't let the others know that that information was new to him either. Why they were pretending to be closer than they were before everyone, they didn't know.

"Perhaps," was all L answered, his face betraying none of his inner surprise.

Riley was looking at L again, his eyes burning with curiosity and hunger. Light instantly felt his blood boil at that. He wanted Riley to stop acting like L was his for the taking. He had made it more than clear to the other teen that he was off limits, yet he didn't seem to care what Light said. So Light decided to do something. Something small and innocent, but completely out of character for him.

His hand moved to L's hand, lowering his thumb from his lip, pulling it into his lap. L stared at him stoically, and he smiled back before taking his hand in his own so that their palms were pressed together. His other hand moved to the raven's head, running through the soft black tresses, slowly and easily untangling strands of his messy hair. L did not object, only leaning into the touch slightly, and Light smiled. He looked at Riley through his peripheral, noting that the boy looked quite bothered. He knew the blond had a temper, and he couldn't help but feel smug at how easy it was to antagonize him.

**L's P.O.V:**

I could feel his fingers gently rubbing through my hair, then against my neck in soothing circles. Why was he doing this? I looked up to meet his gaze, but he just smiled. I didn't mind the gesture, but why was Light doing this around the others? Perhaps he didn't care what they thought and just felt the desire to do so, or… Was he claiming me yet _again_? In front of _everyone_? Bastard! The thought enraged and thrilled me to no ends. I was not his property! What gave him the right to act like I _belonged _to him?

But then there was that strange pleasure that seemed to course through me. He was claiming me in front of everyone, which meant that he _wanted_ me. I didn't like the idea of him being so possessive…but who am I kidding? I _loved_ it. It meant that he cared. I didn't know why or how, but he cared.

What had triggered it anyway? I looked around, my eyes immediately falling on Riley. Oh my. He looked like he was about to blow. Had this been a cartoon, I'm sure steam would have been blasting out his ears. I looked to Light, catching a brief but prominent smug smirk, and then I understood. He had been making a point.

But why would he even waste time with Riley? Was it because of how the younger boy had been staring at me nearly the whole time?

…Did that mean Light was…jealous?

Not jealous in the sense that Riley had what he wanted, but more jealously possessive? Jealous that Riley had even been able to grab my attention with his piercing stares? I suddenly felt something soft and warm on my hand, and turned to see Light kissing my palm. His honey eyes met mine, and he held me there captivated, and I realized I was completely right. He wanted me to himself. He wanted all my attention on him. I nearly cracked a smile; Light probably had very high thoughts of himself, and was most likely offended that I would even want to look away from him, or that Riley thought he could claim my attention from him. He was arrogant, just as I was, really.

But I had never felt more flattered in my life.

**Leo's P.O.V:**

I watched as Riley stared at Light hard. It looked like he was trying to give him cancer with his eyes; no really. I could see the muscles in his face twitch in his attempt to hold in his anger, and I could barely see the tips of his ears reddening. He suddenly whipped out of his chair, moving towards the door.

"Ri-" I started too soft for anyone to have noticed before Light interrupted me.

"Where are you going, Riley?" the brunette jabbed mercilessly, mocking him with his obviously fake 'innocent curiosity'. I glared at Light, but I didn't think he noticed. He was too busy enjoying how upset Riley was.

"…"

Riley said nothing, only stopping momentarily as if to contemplate his next move, before walking out the door without a word.

I was humiliated.

Riley was interested in this 'Ryuzaki' person. He was supposed to be interested in _me_. Why were his eyes focused on anyone else? I knew that Riley and I weren't exactly in a relationship that meant we _loved_ one another, but we weren't merely fuck buddies. No, we were more than that. I loved him, I could admit that. I would be fine with him as my partner, my companion. I didn't mind any of the demands that came along with that position. But words like 'partner' and 'companion' were an understatement. We only confided in one another, it was just us two. I had never, _never _had eyes for anyone else after I met him. Sure I played it off like we were just together for sex in front of everyone else; letting others know which things meant a lot to you was never a good idea. But he was the sole reason for my existence. I would have commit suicide out of loneliness long ago had he not captivated me, swept me completely off my feet. I'd do anything for him. So why was he looking at someone else like I wasn't even in the room? Why wasn't he even trying to hide it? Why did he leave without a single word or glance in my direction? I felt tears stinging in my eyes.

I was _utterly_ humiliated.

**Mello's P.O.V:**

D-R-A-M-A. Damn, there was a lot of tension in this room. What was with Riley and Light? They looked just about ready to pounce on each other. I couldn't help but feel like I was totally missing something. I looked around at the others in the room, relieved to find that they seemed to be just as lost as I was. Ms. O'Connell cleared her throat, but nobody looked her way. Leo got up, striding out of the room before anyone could say anything more.

"Well then…" Jace said, breaking everyone from their thoughts.

I spoke up, "It was your turn next, right Taro?"

The boy nodded, but looked hesitant to speak. "Umm, well…"

"Go ahead, honey," Ms. O'Connell encouraged.

"…I-I lived in an orphanage before I came here, and I had been extremely lonely. Whenever I _did _have company it was from people who were…not at all nice to me," he frowned. "Throughout the years I've discovered something about myself that has helped me get by though. I dislike human beings. They can be greedy, selfish, and evil by nature. But people… I like people. People make mistakes, but they feel guilt and remorse, and are capable of kindness as well."

"…"

"…"

"…"

Shit. No one had expected such a deep answer from Taro. Sure the kid was a genius like the rest of us, but most of us forgot about that. He was always so happy and child-like that we often forgot that he was just as broken as we were. None of us should have been shocked by his answer, except maybe Ryuzaki since he barely knew Taro. But he was in Mansfield after all. One could expect nothing less from a patient here, regardless of age.

"Okay, we can stop here for today everyone. We'll continue this next Tuesday," Ms. O'Connell said softly. Even _she_ was looking a little disturbed at the sudden turn things had taken.

Nods and soft sounds of approval barely made a dent in the strong tension in the room. Apparently, Ms. O'Connell was wise enough to see that the heavy atmosphere didn't encourage much more talking. I was glad she dismissed us. To be honest, I liked doing this. It was comforting to talk on a more personal level with someone who at least _looked _like they cared (aside from Matt and Near, of course). It was also a nice way to talk about things without being judged or questioned; if anything, I could blame it on the counselor that wanted me to talk to her. It was a nice cover. But I was also extremely weary of these 'meetings'. It was dangerous to talk about yourself in front of others here, and it made me feel a bit too vulnerable for my liking.

Damn. Talk about mixed feelings.

I sighed, getting up slowly but surely with my beloved boys. "Oh, everyone!" Ms. O'Connell called for every ones attention. "You are to go to room 206 from here."

"What's in room 206?" Matt asked.

"I actually don't know. I was just informed that you all were to leave to that room immediately after this meeting," she said with a small smile.

Everyone nodded their understanding, walking out the door. We made our way down the familiar halls with the other patients, all of us following behind Light without even thinking about it. Light was like our leader. No, it was a bit more personal. He was like our father in a way. Taro had even taken to calling him 'Tou-san' when they were alone aside from two or three other people, since they were both Japanese. He looked out for us when no one did, and I could tell that he only did it because it was morally correct to him, but we were grateful nonetheless. He was the one who helped us when we were sick, the one that would comfort us when we broke down from the stress of being here, and the one who made sure to put Namikawa in his place when he was being ridiculous regardless of the consequences. We owed him so much.

We arrived at room 206. We all sucked in a breath of anticipation; what could be behind this door? Light moved forward, hand gripping the silver handle tightly before he pulled it down, pushing the door open.

We walked into a dimly lit room, looking at the many round tables, each fitting about three or four people if you squeezed together on the bench seats. There was a table at the far end of the room, for a single person; it was set in a place that everyone could see, like in a classroom that would have been the teacher's seat.

Suddenly, a man popped up from under the desk, a stack of books in his arms. He was young with dark hair, light eyes, and was probably American from his features; he was pretty attractive really.

"Why hello everyone!" he greeted with a bright smile as he set the books down on his desk.

"What is this room for?" Light asked.

The man cocked his head to the side, "No one told you guys?" He looked at the blank faces, taking that as a 'no'. "This is your cooking class!" he smiled again.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"What the _fuck_?" I broke the awkward silence.

Laughs chorused throughout the room as if it had been rehearsed, but I knew that everyone else was just as surprised as I was. "A _cooking_ class?" I pressed.

The man looked taken aback at my reaction, but nodded swiftly.

"How are we even supposed to make anything? I doubt they'd trust us with a stove and knives," Nick questioned.

"We're not going to be actually _making _anything. At least not yet."

"So what are we going to do then? Talk about it? That sounds boring as fuck," Tommy said.

"No. We're going to decorate cupcakes."

Silence.

"Oh my God. This is it. This is the torture that has been looming over us all! Namikawa's plan is to turn us into a bunch of full-blown fags!" Jace remarked, grinning from ear to ear. We all laughed, almost hysterically, at the idea. We all looked at the man as if expecting a laugh from him too. He was joking, right?

"…Wait, you're not serious, are you?" Jace asked.

"As a heart attack," the man said. He looked a little hurt at what Jace had said. Either the guy was a 'full-blown fag', or was a man who took any type of cooking quite seriously. We all looked to Light. What did _he_ think of this?

"Everyone sit down. The sooner we start, the sooner it's over with. You don't have to do anything if you don't want to, anyway," Light supplied, moving forward to sit down, Ryuzaki following him. We all stared at him in shock, but made no objections. We took our seats, ignoring the pleased look from the American man.

"I'll be right back," he said.

He walked back towards his desk, through a door to the left. Not 10 seconds later, he was back. He was holding three large trays, holding two of them with his hands while balancing the third on his arm easily. Had the guy been a waiter or something? Each tray held about 13 large cupcakes, the colors an assortment of blues, pinks, and yellows. He set them down on his desk. He leaned down behind the gray desk again, emerging with paper plates, then what looked like tubes of frosting, cream, chocolate, and various bags of sprinkles and candies.

He was serious alright.

"Everyone come forward and grab a plate and a cupcake. You can all take turns with the 6 tubes of frostings. There are only three cans of whipped cream, so try not to use too much so everyone can use it if they like. Also," he reached under his desk yet again, emerging with a bag of many much smaller tubes, "these are for if you want to draw or write anything on your cupcakes."

I was in shock really. This man was seriously asking a bunch of teenage boys, a bunch of insane and genius teenage boys, to decorate cupcakes. Not to mention really _girly _cupcakes. But we all walked forward anyway, following Light's lead.

"Oh, by the way, you guys can call me Gevanni," the 'teacher' smiled. Gevanni, huh?

I glanced over at Matt, and then Near. Near was staring at Gevanni intently.

"You know him or something?" I questioned. Near didn't look at anyone like that.

"…I think so. He looks intensely familiar. He might have been one of the men at the orphanage, but I never knew his name so I can't be sure. He left before you and Matt arrived."

"Oh. What would he be doing here?"

"I don't know."

About 10 minutes into the class, all of us were crowded around our cupcakes, focusing on them like it was for the fate of the world. I was drawing a gun on my cupcake with the chocolate frosting, occasionally licking my fingers to savor the taste of chocolate. Near was drawing dice after dice in black and white vanilla frosting, and Matt was drawing a tri-force (typical…) in whipped cream. As much as I hate to admit it, this was totally fun. I grabbed the bag of circular multi-colored sprinkles, placing them at the very end of the gun shaft so that it looked like it was shooting. Fuck yeah.

**L's P.O.V:**

I hadn't known what to do with my cupcake at first, but once it was decided I gave it my all. I filled in the gothic 'L' precisely, all of my lines as close to perfect as I could get. Done. Quite proud with my work, I turned to look at the others, just in time to see Mello pocketing a small bottle of chocolate syrup. I smiled.

I looked over to Light's cupcake; it had a black frosting background, with a contrasting red in the perfect shape of an apple. It was also done with careful strokes, and I got the feeling that Light was a perfectionist. Another thing we had in common.

"Why an apple, Light?"

He turned to me with a smile, "No reason, really. I'm just really fond of apples."

**Author's Note: Whew! That chapter was getting a bit longer than usual. I cut it off here because I really liked the idea of ending it with that line. And no, I haven't forgotten about the lemon I told you all would be in this chapter, and I apologize for not putting it in (really, I do feel bad about it…) but had I added it I would have also had to add another event (I plan on going back and forth between two different situations) and then it would have been WAY too long. So that's that. The lemon will most definitely be in the next chapter. (:**

**Please let me know what you think of this very random chapter~ :D**


	11. Chocolate & Chess

**Author's Note: I apologize deeply for not updating sooner…^^' I just can't get over writer's block sometimes…but when it leaves, it's gone! I just wrote this chapter over the course of like three days…and there were _so_ many interruptions! But whatever, it's finally here!**

**~Warning: MATURE content, so if you don't deem yourself mature enough to handle explicit lemons/smuts (with boys), and in this case a threesome, I'd skip the 3rd person p.o.v and Mello's second p.o.v… I didn't include anything crucial to the plot or anything you'd need to know in order to understand future chapters, so you can skip it if you really want to.~**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 11. Chocolate & Chess**

**Mello's P.O.V:**

After about 20 minutes, Gevanni clapped his hands together to get every ones attention.

"Okay, class is officially over in two minutes, so I figured I'd tell you now; you guys can do whatever you want with your cupcakes. Eat them, or throw them away, its fine. However, I have a camera, and I'd like to take a picture of all your beautiful cupcakes," the man smiled.

"…Are you gay?"

"Excuse me?" Gevanni asked in surprise.

"Are you gay?" Jace asked again.

"Why do you ask?"

"Cause my gay-dar is definitely going off," he said with a laugh.

"Don't be such an asshole, Jace," I scolded, suppressing a smile.

"I'm just being honest!"

"More like rude," Nick said. He turned to Gevanni, "Pay no attention to him. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No, I don't mind. If you really want to know, I'm bi-sexual…Is that a problem?" he asked, eyes sparkling with slight apprehension.

The room was silent for a moment, before chuckles echoed throughout the room. The man looked taken aback, not sure whether to be relieved or offended

"More than half of us in this room are gay, so you're totally fine," Matt informed quietly with a grin; even Near had a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Aside from that, I believe we're all intelligent enough to not be bothered with ostracizing someone for their sexual preference. At least most of us are, that is," Near said, giving Jace a glance.

"Oi! What's that supposed to mean?" Jace demanded.

"I thought it was fairly self-explanatory…The fact that you don't understand is only further proving my point, by the way."

I laughed, wrapping an arm around Near's small waist. "Near just _owned_ you, Jace!"

"That was so uncalled for!" Jace protested.

"What? You think you're the only one allowed to instigate fights?"

"Che," Jace scoffed, crossing his arms.

"…So how about those pictures?"

"Why do you want them anyway? They're nothing special," Tommy remarked.

"They are to me. It's not everyday I get a bunch of geniuses hand decorating my cupcakes, you know."

"_Your _cupcakes? You made all these?" Mello asked.

"What did you think? That I bought them?" he laughed.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"…"

"…"

"Well, I didn't. The Doctor suggested it, but the thought of store-bought cupcakes in my cooking class annoyed me to no ends."

"Nonetheless. That's very sweet of you!" Taro commented, a pleased smile on his face.

"Thank you. Now, everyone put your cupcakes on the table here, please."

They all did as he said, watching as he snapped a couple photos with his rather bulky black camera.

"Alright, you guys can leave now. Take your cupcake if you want," he dismissed.

**Light's P.O.V:**

I started walking towards the door, grabbing Ryuzaki's hand in mine. I was surprised at how comfortable that action felt, how his hand melded with mine. We walked down the hall and away from the others, back into our room. I closed the door behind me as Ryuzaki went to sit on the bed.

"I wish we had an armchair or some other piece of furniture in here," he said softly. "But they probably don't give us such luxuries so we'll be forced to mingle in the leisure room…"

I nodded in agreement, before moving to sit on the bed next to him. I grabbed his hands, and feeling how cold they were, I cradled them between my own, rubbing them to create some heat.

"Your hands are so cold."

"…I didn't really notice," he admit, his eyes fixed on my face as I watched our hands. I looked up at him, and for a moment he almost had what looked like a blue aura; I marveled at how the faint light from the window shining on him in the dark room gave him an ethereal beauty.

"Hey Ryuzaki?"

"Yes, Light?"

"Do you like chess?"

"Yes, I find the game quite enjoyable. Why do you ask?"

"I'd love to play with you," I smiled.

"The feeling is mutual."

"So do you want to?"

"…I don't understand. Is there one in the leisure room that I don't know about?" he asked, his thumb coming to his lip. I shook my head.

"There's a place where I keep one. Would you like me to go get it?"

Ryuzaki nodded eagerly, and I almost laughed at how child-like and endearing the movement was. "That would be splendid," he smiled. I watched him, our eyes locking in a strong but soft stare. I left to retrieve the game.

**Third Person P.O.V:**

Mello left the room happily, almost skipping with Matt and Near on either side of him. They stared at him questioningly, but he wouldn't spoil the surprise. He grabbed their hands and almost dragged them to their room.

"What is it you are so very eager about, Mello?" Near asked, trying to keep up with the blond.

"You'll see," Mello smirked.

He pulled them into the room, closing the door and locking it. They sat on the bed next to each other, watching him with curious expressions. He smirked, walking over to them, crawling on to the bed like a cat; he settled himself on both their laps, his arms sliding lazily around their necks as his fingers rubbed against their shoulders and then their collarbones.

"Mello?" Matt asked, his cheeks growing a soft pink as Mello's hand traveled down his chest. Mello said nothing, meeting his eyes with a seductive stare before continuing. He turned to look at Near, whose face was as apathetic as always, his fingers venturing towards the younger boy's sides. He squirmed in their laps under the guise of getting more comfortable, and smiled triumphantly at the gasps he received from them. He could almost hear their hearts starting to beat quicker underneath his nimble fingers, and he could feel their growing arousal beneath him. He wriggled on them again, assessing their reactions. Matt was looking more than bothered, and Near's reddened cheeks contradicted his expression and let Mello know everything he needed.

His hands ventured up their shirts at the same time, one starting at the top and moving downwards, his other starting at the bottom and moving upwards. He smirked inwardly; he had become so good at pleasuring them both at the same time, keeping his movement similar but still individual. His left hand played with the hardening buds on the albino's chest, relishing in the harsh breath, as he moved upwards to capture Matt's lips. He licked the boy's soft lips before his fingers fisted gently into the burgundy locks, then gripping the nape of his neck as he deepened the kiss and let his tongue explore; then he switched. The fingers of his right hand became just as risqué as its brothers on his left hand as he moved to kiss Near. He gave the boy's lips a tentative lick, sucking on the corner of his mouth until the boy opened his mouth. He immediately slipped his tongue in, increasing the pressure of his right hand on Matt's nipples. And then he pulled away from them both.

He chuckled as the flustered boys looked at him in shock. He flipped his silky hair out of his face as his hand moved to his pocket. He met their faces with a sexy smile, pulling the bottle of chocolate that he'd taken earlier from out of his pocket, dangling it before them. Their eyes widened as he screwed the top off, pouring a small amount on to his finger. He licked the substance off greedily, letting a sound of pleasure slip past his lips.

"_Mello._"

Their voices were low and sultry, covering the soft pleading undertone. He knew that they wanted him, but foreplay was one of his favorite things. He spilled a bit more chocolate onto his hand, lapping at it eagerly, letting them know that he wasn't about to make a move. Matt gave Near a look, and the youngest boy nodded; the blond smirked as Matt approached him, the boy's arm meeting behind the blond's knee as his other arm wrapped around his torso. He carried him to the bed, or rather the three beds that they had pushed together, and Mello gasped as he nearly dropped the open bottle of chocolate. He was about to scold them both as he was put down, but lips on his neck followed by another mouth on his waist had silenced him.

_Heh, I must've teased them a little too_ _much... _Mello thought. But he wasn't complaining.

Fingers were suddenly at his mouth and he took them in, his tongue dancing around them happily as he felt his pants being pulled off. He smirked as Near gave him an intense look before his pale fingers skipped across Mello's inner thighs. Thin fingers wrapped around his member, stroking him to life slowly. Mello threw his head to the side as Matt's tongue laved attention to his ear and neck as he worked his shirt off. The silver-haired boy ducked down, giving Mello the smallest of smirks as his tongue licked and swirled around the head firmly; at the same moment, the rose buds on Mello's chest were rubbed with wet fingers. Mello groaned at both sensations, hips twitching forward as his fingers gripped the sheets.

Matt leaned forward over Mello's shoulder, giving the blond a dirty smile before Near also leaned forward. Their lips met, eyes fluttering nearly closed as they shared a tantalizingly slow kiss, lips meshing together as their tongues greeted briefly. Mello felt his desire for them increase ten fold; seeing them like that was like putting his two favorite things (guns and chocolate) together. And the fact that they did that mostly to see him squirm in all his arousal was far more pleasing than he'd ever like to admit.

He felt movement behind him, but didn't turn to see. Then he smelled chocolate in the air once again, and he pressed his back firmly against Matt. Matt poured a generous amount of chocolate onto his hand, making sure his fingers were well coated before they rubbed at Mello's entrance. The boy gasped, and moaned as Matt worked a finger inside him. Near sucked Mello's length, taking it in slowly so he wouldn't gag, as Matt continued to thrust a finger in and out of the boy in between them. He pushed another finger in, feeling himself growing even more aroused as the blond moved back against him to slip them in deeper.

"Hand me some of that chocolate, Matt," Mello moaned.

Matt complied, and Mello spilled some on to his hand again. He licked his palm clean, but left his fingers dirtied. "Near, take your pants off and turn around," Mello demanded softly.

Near nodded and stripped, turning so that his behind was in front of Mello. Mello leaned forward to place warm kisses on Near's back, his tongue licking at the base of his spine before he slipped a finger inside of him. The boy gasped, and Mello let out a breathy groan as Matt's fingers hit something particularly fantastic. He prepared Near quickly, his hand reaching around to pump the boy at the same time. He scissored his fingers as Near shuddered, and he felt Matt do the same to his own entrance, before pulling out.

He coated his erection with the chocolate before passing it to Matt. Mello turned Near around, looking down at the boy beneath him. His silver hair was already disheveled, his cheeks a bright pink against his white skin, and his eyes lidded. He leaned down to kiss him sweetly, before turning to Matt. He kissed the boy over his shoulder, licking his face and feeling the boy's chocolate-coated hardness throb against his thigh.

"Ready?" Mello questioned.

**Light's P.O.V:**

I retrieved the old chess board from the same room that I got all my candy from. I looked both ways often, making sure no one could see me; it was day time after all, and I was risking getting caught if I wasn't careful.

I made it back to our room safely, grinning as I saw Ryuzaki's face brighten once he caught sight of me and what I was holding.

"Where did you…?" he trailed off with a smile.

I sat on the bed next to him, and laced my fingers within his. I enjoyed our close proximity, and the way his cheeks turned a flattering pink as my lips grazed his ear.

"I'll only tell you if you promise it'll be _our_ little secret."

"I promise."

I sighed as I used my sleeve to rid the board of the fine layer of dust. "I'm sure that by now you've caught on that I know a significant amount of things that other patients here don't. I either know them beforehand, or know things that aren't even going to reach any of their ears."

"Yes. You mentioned how you knew 'everything' to Riley before, and I noticed how the others seem to look to you for an answer when they are confused with current situations."

"Exactly. Well, I am not special. I'm treated just as they are, in the sense that I am not any ones 'favorite' or anything of the sort. But I…know my way around here."

"Are you suggesting that there are secret passages within this institution?" Ryuzaki asked, his onyx eyes wide and glowing with interest.

"Bingo."

"I see. I'm guessing that one of them leads to the…'Master's' office?" he asked.

"You catch on quickly," I smiled.

"I was a detective, after all."

"A good one at that, I'm guessing, as you're right. I can easily obtain information there since he doesn't suspect anything and never really locks things within his office, or hides the keys in an obvious place. He's extremely comfortable and doubts that any of us would even _dare _to go into his office," I explained. "And you don't have to refer to him by that stupid title around me or any of the other patients. Just call him Namikawa," I added. Ryuzaki nodded, and I could almost hear the cogs turning in that complex mind of his.

"Ryuzaki."

"Yes, Light?"

"I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition?"

"Mhmm."

"I'm all ears."

"Alright. I want to know more about you, and I'm sure that you're just as curious about me. Correct?"

"Quite," he answered, biting his thumb.

"Well…I was thinking that we could play this game of chess, and whoever wins gets to ask the loser a certain amount of questions; questions that that person _has _to answer honestly, no matter what they are."

"Hmm. I like this idea. How many questions can we ask if we win?"

"I haven't decided. I was thinking that we could come to a number together."

"Alright…how about six?"

"Fine with me," I smiled.

I placed the board on the bed, eagerly setting the pieces in their proper places with Ryuzaki helping me. It was a really old set; everything was hand carved, except the board, and the paint on both the black and white pieces was chipping, but it was beautiful in its age.

"This must have been played quite a bit," I commented, fingering the old wood of a pawn.

"I agree. It looks loved," Ryuzaki said.

He watched me, and I returned the stare. Everything about him was captivating; all his odd mannerisms, his eccentric appearance, and the way he seemed to look _through _me rather than at me. I really couldn't get enough of his eyes. The deep, dark orbs seemed to search for something within me, something I wasn't even sure existed.

"Which color would you like to be?" I asked.

"The white, please."

"Perfect. I prefer black." I smiled, if only to see him fidget under my gaze.

"Black suits you well."

"You think?"

"Yes. The white does nothing to emphasize the gold of your eyes and hair, or the color of your skin. The black, however, is extremely flattering," he said. "It makes you look almost…angelic. However, I don't recall angels being described as wearing anything but white, let alone black, so perhaps that's not the right word…" he rambled, biting his thumb more insistently in what I guessed was embarrassment or nervousness.

I leaned forward, ignoring the chess board, and brought my lips to his forehead, saving his poor thumb at the same time. "Many people have called me beautiful before, but I am pleasantly surprised to find that it actually means something to me when it comes from you." I kissed his cheek softly. There was warmth, a sudden flare within me, when my lips met his skin.

"I was merely being honest. You are truly dazzling," he whispered, his voice monotonous.

"Not nearly as dazzling as you are. You are divine, Ryuzaki. I've never come across anyone like you," I admit, my lips searching for more of his porcelain skin.

"…Could we get back to the game?" he asked, his cheeks that alluring crimson.

"Of course," I smirked.

**Mello's P.O.V:**

With the first few thrusts always came the total abandonment of the idea of being 'quiet'. Really now, did anyone expect me to _not _practically scream while being pounded into, and in turn pounding into someone else? The sensations; the feeling of Matt inside me completely, and the way Near seemed to writhe beneath me as he actually allowed himself to _feel_ was indescribable.

I could feel the pain of being stretched, of being filled over again by the engorged length, but then there was that sharp surge of pleasure that continued to erupt throughout my pelvis with every caress inside me, overriding the discomfort of the act.

"_Matt!_"

Then there was the warm tightness that continued to envelop me, to swallow me whole in its welcoming heat. Squeezing me and stroking me in all the right ways; the body encouraging me wordlessly with shudders and gasps.

"_Near!_"

It's as if as soon as I pull back, the distance becoming too much to the point that I find myself aching to be inside of Near, I'm rewarded with the sensation of Matt inside me again. Thus, the steady crescendo, the desperate rhythm of our pivoting hips sliding against each other, is born from that feeling, that feeling deep in my chest. It's the feeling that urges us into this situation, the feeling that justifies the act. As cliché as it may sound, I honestly think it can only be described as love.

The pace quickens, and I smirk as I hear my name shouted repeatedly amongst the symphony of wanton moans and gasps coming from both of my lovers; such a beautiful, addicting sound.

"Fuck!"

I feel Matt's release inside me, and like a chain reaction, my release follows. I reach my peak, and the feeling is like no other. I find the English language lacking when it comes to describing such a thing, but if I have to make due with what little I've got, I'd have to describe it as almost _overwhelmingly perfect_. That one moment… It's like every muscle in your body shudders; only to relax as it's rewarded for all the strain you've put on it.

Near comes almost immediately after me, and I grin at the thought that we all seem to push each other over the edge. It's funny how even after the orgasm, you still feel drunk on the feeling. I find myself almost _high _on the absolute intimacy between Near, Matt, and I.

"Damn. You should steal chocolate more often, Mels," Matt laughed.

"I couldn't agree more," Near said, a small smile gracing his lips.

**Light's P.O.V:**

The game lasted a solid two and a half hours. We played in silence, contemplating each move for minutes at a time. I'd been so sure of my victory that I hadn't even comprehended that Ryuzaki could be so…_clever_. Perhaps that was why I'd lost.

"That strategy…brilliant," I mused.

"Thank you. I developed it myself," Ryuzaki said, his large eyes happy but not in the least bit smug. "Most people would not risk sacrificing such capable pieces…"

"And in the very end, they weren't even necessary..." I commented.

"Correct. It is not about what pieces you use, but how you use them."

"You know, that's the first time any one has ever beaten me in chess. And I must admit…I was not expecting you to steal my king with a _pawn_."

"Most underestimate such a simplistic piece, that's true…But I was still surprised that you fell into my trap."

"Who's to say I didn't _let_ you win? Perhaps I figured out your plan halfway through, or even guessed it from the very beginning, and decided to humor you," I teased.

"That is highly unlikely. About 20% possible."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" I asked, my mouth twisting into a small pout.

He smiled brightly, "Do not take what I am saying the wrong way; I am not insulting your intelligence. I am merely stating that the chances of you letting me win are extremely low, because it is out of character for you to lower yourself for others when it doesn't benefit you. Adding to that, anyone that you would have to _let _win isn't even worth playing against."

"…And exactly how did you come to this whole conclusion?"

"I know this to be true because I am the same way, Light. You and I are childish and immature, and always strive to _win_."

"Once again, you are correct," I supplied smoothly, a smile tugging at my lips despite my loss.

"When you think about it, if we were to team up, there would be little anyone could do to stop us. We would not only formulate ingenious plans, but we would notice any mistakes one of us might make now and then."

"We would have each other's backs, so to speak."

"Exactly."

"Hmm. If I ever decide to take over the world, I'll be sure to call you," I chuckled, giving him a wink.

"Would you really?" he asked. All hints of amusement disappeared from both our faces, and I was surprised at the sudden change in atmosphere as he waited for my reply.

"Without a doubt."

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Wondering about what L's going to ask Light? :3 Well you'll find out in the next chapter! SO…how was the lemon? Please let me know! I tried to include and write everything I'd like to have read if I were the reader (that only proves how perverted I am…), so I'd appreciate it if you let me know what you thought. :)**

**Leave a review please! They're so encouraging. ^^**


End file.
